Dear Family and Friends,
I pray this letter finds you well, and that you are having a magical holiday season; that you will have a moment of awe and wonder at the magnitude of the love Jesus has for each and every one of you. I’m going to pour my heart out a bit with this one.
As this year comes to a close, and we have the joy of celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, I wanted to take this time to reflect on this past year – our first year of operations for the very first (of many) SONshine Homes. So many of you have walked this beautiful, messy, sometimes very painful journey with us as we’ve opened our doors and hearts to care for some of our community’s most vulnerable – homeless pregnant or parenting young women and their families.
Walking the journey this first year, I’ve often asked myself: are we doing enough? The numbers are shocking: almost 5,000 young pregnant or parenting women homeless or nearly homeless right here in our state. And we have seen the second largest increase in youth homelessness in the entire country – a 76% increase from 2022-2023. While considering these numbers, the Lord ever so gently reminded me that while we can’t change the world for the masses at the moment, we sure can be His hands and feet to help change the world for one. And as heartbreaking as the work is at times, our hearts rejoice with the understanding that heaven is going to be full of people that had seeds planted somewhere along the way at places like the SONshine Home.
With scriptures written all over the studs, walls and home, the Home is truly a place where a young mama can sleep in safety, sing lullabies to her baby, and never have to wonder where her next meal will come from – a place of dignity, refuge and hope.
While we have seen deep despair and heartache and have had to make some very tough decisions, we have also seen the goodness of God, the beauty of what hope looks like, and the tenderness of a life impacted for eternity. We have seen young mamas get their GEDs, start their first job, learn to care for their children, and most importantly, experience the love of Jesus. For most, it is the first time in their lives that our mamas and their children get to have a Merry Christmas, the first time they get to see the magic in their child’s eyes as he/she opens up a gift, and the first time they get to feel like their child had a “nice Christmas.” As I look at the beautiful tree decorated with love and care, standing tall in that corner of the SONshine home, and hear the Christmas music playing in the background – I celebrate this past year.
It’s a different Christmas for us this year – one where we have gotten a front-row seat to the very miracles of Christ, and one where we can reflect on the words of Jesus, “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35b).
May you be richly blessed this Christmas season, and may you all know the depths of the love Jesus has for YOU!
All of our love,
Heather, Heidi, and all of us at Love and SONshine Ministries!
Luke 2:10: But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people.”
