Andrea’s Story My name is Andrea. I am a 36 year old mother of a beautiful seven year old boy. I currently live at the mission in Floral City, and am thankful for every day that I am given here. I am a recent college graduate with a BS degree in Biology, and minors in Chemistry, and Criminalistics. I served my country in the Army for three years as a pharmacy specialist, and was injured during a routine training drill. I was discharged honorably with a medical discharge, and am currently 40% disabled. I have been married to an emotionally and physically abusive husband for 9 years. Recently, I told him that I was done taking the abuse and he told me to leave the house. He is bigger and louder than I am, and I did not want our son to see any further arguments or fighting, so I told him that I would be out in three days. I had no idea where I would go, and had no money to do anything with. I stayed in the guest room while he continued to make my living environment as hostile as he could. I left on the third day, with the intention of selling one of my personal items so that I would have the $50 required to open a new bank account for my VA disability check to go into. My other considerations were whether or not I should go to a rest area off of the Interstate and sleep in my van or use the Wal-Mart parking lot. I was scared, alone, and felt lost as far as what I should do. I went to Cadence bank to open my account, and as I was waiting to be seen, I glanced onto the coffee table, and found a pamphlet for the Mission of Citrus County. I proceeded to read the contents of the pamphlet, and made a decision that I would call them as soon as I had opened my account at the bank. Leaving the bank, with the intention of making the call to a homeless shelter for housing, the fear welled up in my gut, and tears began to run down my cheeks. I never would have thought that I would ever be homeless. With no other option left, I made the call, and they asked me to come in and fill out some paperwork. They told me that I could stay there in Crystal River. When I arrived at the shelter I was very scared. The individuals who greeted me were very comforting and made me feel more at ease. I have grown to love the people who live in these homes, and am impressed with the stamina that many of them have shown, and the many journeys that each of them have made. In each person’s life story, evidence of God’s providence and love is manifested in the provision and deliverance from homelessness and hunger. The Mission at Citrus saved my life in more ways than just providing a safe place to live and food to eat, they have provided many of the resources that I needed to get back on my feet, back into the workforce, and into a place of my own. I see a bright future ahead for myself and my son, and I honestly believe that it would not have been possible without The Missions help. I will be forever grateful.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 18:24:35 +0000
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