“LORD, PLEASE, I KNOW YOU SAID TO BE STRONG. PLEASE HELP ME TO STAY STRONG. I DO NOT WANT TO BREAK.”
Between losing her mom and sister in a matter of eight months, Temika felt like her world was crumbling. She’d already lost custody of her two sons and was fighting hard not to let that happen with her only daughter. After she lost her job and got behind on rent, she was evicted. Without a safety net to catch her, she made her way to Nashville Rescue Mission.
“I came to the Mission to catch my breath and get my head above water,” said Temika. “I’ve struggled in the past, but this is the first time I’ve stayed in a shelter. But I am determined, and I’m not going to give up. My goal is to regain custody of my two sons. And to do that, I need a job with a steady income.”
“I’ve been out job hunting,” said Temika. “I’ve submitted applications at several places. One, in particular, is currently doing a background check. Once that comes back, I hope to start working full-time soon.” Not afraid of hard work, Temika says she’s willing to sweep, do dishes, whatever she needs to so she can become financially stable.
While at the Mission, Temika has also spent time working on some personal issues. “I have a lot of stuff from my childhood that I need to deal with. The Mission helped connect me with the Mental Health Co-op. I’ve been going to therapy, and it’s helping.”
Temika has found the Mission’s chapel services to be a great source of encouragement. “There have been times I’ve felt this energy or something from the speaker. It’s like they’re reaching out and touching me with a message specifically for me. It’s really powerful. It’s nice that it gives me time to stop and evaluate how I’m feeling throughout the week. And the class they’ve offered on forgiveness has been extremely beneficial.”
“The Mission has been so good to me,” shared Temika. “They’ve done more than just provide us with food and shelter, they also helped us with school clothes and supplies.”
In fact, they made sure that every one of those babies going back to school looked nice. This situation has not been easy, but I’m going to keep on believing in God to get my sons back. It’s my faith in Him that’s kept me going.”
