“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,”
–Â Mahatma Gandhi
As we continue our mission to help people in need, because of you over 4000 people this year have received some kind of assistance through City Gates Ministries whether it be tangible items like furniture, clothes, food or hygiene products or prayer, an encouraging word or even in some cases financial assistance, City Gates continues to take the calls that only God can answer.
One call came from a family facing an eviction. I met with Billie, a father of four, who told us his story…
“Elizabeth Grace was born September 4th, 2012. My wife woke up to find her not breathing on September 16th. Elizabeth was only 12 days old. I and my 12 year-old daughter Addalee performed CPR while mom called 911 and went to wave down paramedics. At that time I was on active duty with the army and in the process of being medically discharged due to injuries I had suffered during my deployment to Iraq. The medics were able to revive Elizabeth, but due to the amount of time without oxygen, Elizabeth suffered severe brain damage. The doctors asked if we were willing to take her off life support. We refused. Elizabeth is now on life support at home. Although she does breathe on her own, her breathing can be very erratic and unpredictable so she is on a ventilator.”
In meeting the kids ( Addalee, 16; Kaylei, 13; Richard, 7; and Elizabeth, 4) I quickly witnessed the power of love this family has for each other and the selfless sacrifices each one in the family gives to the other to take care of little Elizabeth. They share in caring for her 24/7. “Our family believes that when it is her time to go then there is no machine that will keep her here,” Billie said. “This makes it difficult to have a full time job and hard sometimes to make it month to month.” Last month Addalee 16, employed, paid the water bill. Although they are supposed to have nursing 16 hours a day it has not been consistent. The rent is unpaid and they are facing an eviction proceeding.
One person cannot achieve what a multitude of people can accomplish. When we unite as a community anything is possible. Please get in touch with us as we begin the journey to help this family.
City Gates is on a mission. We began a new phase of creating local missions opportunities to help people in need like this family. This year with your support two more mobile homes were refurbished bringing a total of five mobile homes that have created sustainable housing for the families who cannot afford the high costs of rent. These projects have two objectives. They create opportunities for our partners to experience local missions by working side by side with the families who will receive them. These projects are made possible through donations and your volunteer support. Pray with us as we continue to look for opportunities to generate local mission’s opportunities to create affordable housing for people in need.
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