ESCAPING ABUSE

Anita (not her real name) came to JRM with nothing but the clothes she was wearing. She was fleeing from a terrible physical abuse situation. In order to successfully accomplish her "get-away" without being caught and further abused, she had to abandon everything she owned. Her request was for help to get shelter/refuge with relatives. JRM provided long distance phone access for her to call her family for the purpose of getting permission to stay with them. Their answer was "yes".

The only bus service was able to quickly track down, reserve, and purchase for her, would get her to North Dakota about 1:30 AM. Because of that "middle of the night" arrival time, she also used another phone call to arrange for a friend to pick her up.  Anita's arrival time made it impractical and perhaps dangerous to just hang around there until morning. JRM staff then provided "finger food" and meal type snacks to be sure she would not be hungry along the way. A time of prayer was also a value to her, as well as a comfort and encouragement.

Anita was able to go FROM a hopeless situation of physical abuse and danger TO safety and a fresh start, because folks like you, care and share through JRM. Anita THANKS YOU and so do we.

Janet (not her real name), came to JRM asking for money for car repair costs. She had barely survived a bitter divorce when her husband left her for another woman AND dragged Janet through a resulting bankruptcy. She is 59 years old, homeless, has no children and is living out of her car. She had worked for a large, reputable company for 7 years while married, but lost her job, stressed out over the divorce. Her pension and an annuity are both tied up because of the divorce and bankruptcy, so she is penniless except for what she can earn by driving for a car ride company. She tries to earn enough from driving fees so she can rent a motel room every few days, just to get some decent rest and a shower.

Just when she thought things were beginning to work out, the car overheated. A reputable car repair shop quoted $500 to replace the water pump and related expenses. She had no savings, and her credit card was maxed out. Because of limited resources, JRM offered $200 toward the repairs as seed money.. ..and that worked! With the $200 "on the table", a friend loaned Janet the balance of $300 so her car is repaired, and she is back to earning her own way, rather than trying to get on welfare. JRM also provided $20 of gas in the tank to get her restarted in her car ride job, thus assuring her of renewed self- employment.

A time of prayer encouraged her and assured her of the Lord's caring and presence in the midst of her dire circumstances.

Ed (not his real name) had worked for a printing company for many years.  As the volume of the printing business dwindled, little by little because of the economy, workers were laid off.   Finally it was Ed’s turn.  He got the dreaded pink slip!

An extensive search turned up NOTHING in the way of another job in his field.  Out of desperation, he turned to a technical school for training on a new career path.  He was accepted into classes only to discover that in order to continue training in his particular area of construction work, he was required to get steel toe work boots.   Without those boots he would be forced to drop out of class.  After conferring and verifying the need, Jericho Road Ministries assisted this man in his journey on the road back to training for a job that would make him a self- sufficient worker once again by purchase of the proper boots.  Out of money, out of options, lack of proper protective boots – this man was on his way to homelessness and failure.  Because of gifts like yours, he is back on track, poised to thrive and likely to be a blessing to others.