[including excerpts from a speech by My Father’s House Lubbock Founder, Shirley Madden]

I want to introduce you to a woman you may have seen recently taking her child to school, shopping for groceries, filling her car with gas, or waiting at the bus stop. Perhaps you saw her sitting at the back of your church on Sunday morning. Maybe she is the daughter, niece, cousin, or friend of your neighbor or Sunday School classmate. Maybe she is you.

She may be tall or short, fat or thin, of almost any age, race, and ethnic background. She may not have a high school diploma – or maybe she does, although that event seems distant now. She may be physically beautiful but she has been so assaulted by criticism and degradation, she believes she is ugly both inside and out.

She probably grew up in a single parent home – or with a dysfunctional family. In either case, she likely had no consistent, positive role model as a child. She does not know what it feels like to be truly loved and accepted. She has always felt unloved and unacceptable. She does not know what a good relationship and marriage looks like. Her view has been derived from late-night movies, TV shows, and music videos. She can’t figure out how other people succeed in life, in relationships, in jobs, and she seems doomed to failure. She has made poor choices, and sometimes didn’t feel she made choices, just fell into situations. She has been punished. Her coping methods may include denial, anger, risky behavior, crime, drug abuse, alcoholism, or physical abuse.

This woman may have lived in as many as four or five addresses this past year. None were safe homes. She does not have a phone and oftentimes the utilities are turned off. She may be one of three to five households living in a two-bedroom house or apartment. She has no full time job and no idea how to improve her condition. Tension is high; nerves are frayed. Often the turmoil prevents her children from getting enough sleep. Frequently the only nutritious meal the children eat each day is at school. Weekends are difficult. Her children have trouble in school, both academically and socially. They may believe everyone is against them. Hostility and fear thrive in their environment. She and her kids face desperation, hunger, homelessness, health, emotional and mental problems, and alcohol, drugs, and other addictive behaviors. Yet, she has no tools or resources with which to make better decisions, no basis for clear judgment. She would do anything to build a new life; she just needs a chance.

My Father’s House Lubbock, through the aid of its volunteers, foundations, supporters, and benefactors, provides women the chance to build new lives for themselves and their children. A chance to create safe, loving families focused on Christian ethics, values, and ideals. This woman is ready to devote herself and her family to a better way of living. She is ready to meet the challenge of giving up old coping methods to learn new, positive responses that create hope, confidence and success in herself and her children. She will invest her time and energy in developing skills to provide for the independent, economic success of her family. She believes it is possible.

She will give up fear for a brave new lifestyle. She will replace hunger and homelessness with abundance and economic security. She will eliminate despair with hope and progress. She will learn to foster in herself and in her children an eternal love. She will smile from deep within, prepared to meet all the challenges life will present.

Is This You?