In December of last year, we received a phone call from a soon-to-be mama with no place to go. She had found out about us from a desperate Google search, and hoped and prayed we would have a place for her. Coming from years of abandonment and rejection – having never experienced true, unconditional love – she had hardly any family close by, no spouse to be with her, and barely a single item to call her own. She owned one garbage bag full of items, which were mostly secondhand items for her baby. We accepted her into the program, and she moved in a few days before Christmas.
Although her baby wasn’t due for another couple of weeks, this young mama-to-be went into labor on Christmas Eve morning, and by 5:30 a.m., it was obvious she needed to get to the hospital.
This sweet young woman was absolutely terrified. Going through labor is already difficult. To know that you’re going to be a single mom with no support & basically homeless is daunting. Nearly every mama who has stayed at the home has lacked a single reliable person to turn to for support, and she was no exception. With no family or friends to go with her, Heidi took this mama to the hospital. She needed support, a comforting touch and someone who could advocate for her and love her.
From Crisis to Comfort
The only real belongings this young mama brought with her to the hospital were a few secondhand items she had purchased for her baby – she didn’t have a single item for herself. She didn’t own any after-birth essentials, and had nothing to wear but the clothes she wore to the hospital. Love and SONshine’s staff and volunteers linked arms, and we were able to provide her with all the post-birth items mama should have – nursing bras, robes, slippers – things she could wear and feel comfortable in. Meanwhile, our givers and volunteers got all the things the baby needed, including a car seat. It was truly amazing to see the kindness of so many rally around her and her baby.
A New Life and a Life Saved
As we loaded her baby into my car and began the short drive back to the SONshine Home, tears fell from her eyes, and she buried her face in her hands. I softly rubbed her shoulder and told her everything was going to be okay. I will never forget as she said the most gut-wrenching, heart- breaking words: “You don’t understand. I was going to adopt my baby out, and then take my own life. You literally saved my life.”
Being homeless with very little support, and no family to take her in, she felt her only option was to give her baby to someone who could provide and care for him. Being unable to bear the thought of losing the one person she loved with every part of her being, she had no hope, and felt death would be better than living without him. The SONshine Home, with our staff, givers, and volunteers, provided her with a lifeline of hope. Here, she found the Christ-like love of a family; a place of dignity, refuge and hope, a place of peace, and a place where she and her baby could grow and thrive together.
Facing the Harsh Reality: Montana’s Homelessness Crisis
I wish I could tell you that the desperation this mama endured is rare, but the number of homeless young women in need of support continues to increase.
Without enough affordable housing, Montana leads the nation in homelessness. Studies show an increase of over 500% of people experiencing patterns of homelessness in our state from 2007 to 2023, with no clear indication of slowing down.
We are in a position to be the hands and feet of Jesus and provide these vulnerable women with the support they desperately need. But none of this can happen without funding. There are more women out there just like this mama, waiting for a miracle.
Would you join us in bringing the love of Jesus to more women by sponsoring a day at the SONshine home? With your support, we can extend our reach, offering hope, healing and the love of Jesus to more mamas and babies.
Heather & Heidi Love & SONshine
Founders and Executive Directors
