A trip down memory lane

On the eve of the 7th anniversary of the birth of AH, it's time to take a trip down memory lane:

Tomorrow, March 14th, we will be celebrating our seventh birthday here at Almost Home Chicago. I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to remind you of how we came to be…

If we go back to the very beginning, Almost Home was actually born in my heart when I was about 17 years old. I recall having a very vivid dream about working with the homeless population and that it was to be called Almost Home. I remember thinking that it was a lovely idea, but nothing more than that. It was just an idea, just a dream. Little did I know that it was actually the first time that I would hear God speak to me about what was to come.

I went on to graduate from high school and then I found out that I was pregnant with my Tommy just seven short months later. I grew up quickly and met my husband at my second job. We married young and started our life together. We had a few more children and life got in the way of my ‘dream’.

I spent the majority of my adult years working with adults with disabilities. I absolutely loved my job and planned on retiring with my company. When I was on my maternity leave with my 5th child, I was let go from my beloved job. And then six short weeks later, my Adrian was let go from his job. We went from barely making ends meet to having close to zero income. If we fast-forward to a year later, the lights were out and our house was in foreclosure.

We began to sell our belongings. We sold anything from furniture, electronics and my husband’s tools to our children’s toys and our wedding rings. We were saving money to live out of our van and in the shelters. But with two days to spare, we were saved by the grace of God, my mom and dad and with the love of a complete stranger. Our bills were paid in full and our home was saved. I promised myself that I would do whatever I could to pay it forward one day, never forgetting about my dream of Almost Home.

I started a home improvement company for Adrian that has been very successful. He’s never been a day without work, and he usually books at least 3 months in advance. God is good. I no longer worry about money, as He absolutely always provides for us.

In early 2015, I joined a Christian Women’s book club. We were reading a book called Carry on, Warrior by Glennon Doyle Melton. There was a specific chapter that stuck me directly. Glennon was talking to her son about compassion. Page 122 reads; “…trust that heartache. Your whole life, we want you to notice and trust your heartache. That heartache is called compassion and it is God’s signal to you to do something. It is God saying, Chase! Wake up! One of my babies is hurting! Do something to help! Whenever you feel compassion, be thrilled! It means God is speaking to you and that is magic. It means He trusts you and needs you.”

Are those not the most beautiful words you’ve ever read? They haunted with me for weeks. I kept reading them over and over again. I knew that they meant something big. On March 14th, 2015, I was at the stoplight on 87th and Cicero. Right before my eyes I spotted not one, not two, not three, but four grown men standing in the streets with their cardboard signs asking for help. My heart was so full of compassion that I truly thought it was going to burst. I clearly heard the Holy Spirit whisper into my right ear the words “Almost Home. It’s time to begin our work.”

I went home and immediately started researching about non-profits. I discovered that there are 14 steps to opening one and I started on step one the next day.

Everything about Almost Home has been given to me by God. The name, the logo, and the words that I use to describe what we do. When I have a question about something, I pray and then He often answers me in a dream and occasionally through the voice of the Holy Spirit. It both excites and terrifies me that He has given me such a big job. He has given me the job to love on His people, to be His hands and feet.

My favorite part of my job is my work at the shelters and directly on the streets with my homeless friends. I’m extremely shy and socially awkward. I suffer from anxiety and panic issues, but all of that melts away when I’m with my friends. I don’t feel like I have to pretend to be someone or something that I’m not. They accept me for who I am and I love them deeply for that.

The boys call me "Mother of the Bridge". I might have 7 biological children and 1 adopted son in heaven, but I also have dozens of grown men who have stolen my heart. They are also my children.

The need for help is so great. Every single day, all day long I’m told heartbreaking stories. Sometimes my soul gets tired and then we come together to love on the least of these and suddenly I’m not tired anymore. It’s a never-ending circle of pain and love. If I’m being honest, sometimes I don’t want to answer the phone. I don’t want to answer the message. But I do because I know that whoever is on the other end was sent to me for a reason, all part of His plan.

Over the last seven years, it’s amazing to recollect what we have managed to accomplish. I couldn’t have done any of it without the love, help and support of my husband, children, Board of Directors (past and present), and the giving people of our community. I now understand that what I thought was the worst time in my life was actually the biggest blessing on my life. I am forever grateful for what happened to my family as it taught us all so many important lessons.

We are working on writing a grant and we had to answer a question on approximately how many people we’ve helped. That’s a tough one because I honestly have no idea. But if you think about the 1,000 or so individuals and families we’ve assisted, monthly shelter visits, Blessings Boxes, Pending Meals, bus stop help, nursing homes, Loaves and Fishes closets, bridge and street ministry and such, the number has to be high in the thousands.

All of us will need help at some point in our lives. All of us, there are no exceptions. For some it will be little help, and for others it will be big. Some will need help once and others multiple times. And that’s okay, it really is. Everyone needs help sometimes. Everyone.

If you’ve actually taken the time to read my dreadfully long post, thank you. I love you and I appreciate you. Never forget that together we will do GREAT things, my friends. This is only the beginning…

All my love, Sarah or Mom, Mama, Mooooom, Mama G, and Mother of the Bridge