Allison’s Story

So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ – Luke 15: 1-7

Allison and her five-year-old daughter, Sasha, were the first to walk through the doors of Restoration House. They were in complete awe that God would build and open this place just for them.

Earlier in the day, Allison was crying at a public storage unit. When another woman asked her if she was okay, she told the lady that she and her daughter had nowhere to stay. The woman told her about a place she had once stayed at, called My Sister’s House, and to call there. It just so happened to be the first day our brand new shelter, Restoration House, was open.

“I didn’t expect this beautiful building and warm welcome!”

Allison and her daughter were the only ones that showed up at Restoration House that day. It was exactly what God had planned. It was a tangible reminder to us all that Jesus loved us so much that he still would have died even if it was for one person.

That day, Allison and her daughter got to experience the love that He has for the one, which really is what all of us are to Him. Allison cried as she walked through the building, amazed by how beautiful it was and that someone would build it for her and her daughter.

As Allison and her daughter sat around the table and ate dinner together with a staff member, she shared how she was so scared coming in but, kept trying to tell her daughter how much fun it would be. She had no idea that it actually would be fun, and that her daughter would get both her favorite foods in one day: Chick-fil-A and pepperoni and pineapple pizza.

She said she felt safe and secure for the first time in a long time and felt like she could breathe again.

This is just the beginning of the story of what restoration looks like for the one, who tonight, happens to be named Allison.

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Restoration House is our brand new shelter for women and children. After years of planning and building, we officially opened the doors of Restoration House on November 29, 2021. Our shelter focuses on serving women and children that have faced trauma in their lives. You can read more about Restoration House here.