Like a Ship on a Storm Tossed Sea

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Joel and his mother Nancy are rebuilding their lives at Lydia House. They are so grateful for your support.

Like many others, Joel and his mom couldn’t escape the effects of the recession. Recent immigrants from Cuba, Joel was going to school and his mom was working in Los Angeles. Then Joel’s mom lost her job. They came to Nebraska looking for work and to reunite with Joel’s dad. But when they arrived in Omaha, they found Joel’s dad was already at Open Door Mission, with troubles of his own.

Luckily, Joel and his mom were able to stay together in the new Lydia House. “It was good for me because I’ve never been separated from my mom,” Joel said. Although both were legal residents, it was tough. “My mom was a teacher for 38 years, but here she didn’t speak the language so she couldn’t teach.” In fact, she couldn’t find a job at all. And Joel was just in high school. “It was really hard,” he recalls. “Really, really hard. I cried a lot...my mom was feeling hopeless.”

Trusting the Navigator

Joel and his mom didn’t know what to do. “It was shocking. It’s a new way of living. It’s a new way of thinking. It’s a new life...” Joel says of their struggles. Faced with so much difficulty, his faith started to waver. “Everything was so bad. We didn’t have income. We couldn’t even survive.”

That’s when Joel and his mom started attending church and asking God for help. “I asked God, ‘I know you know what you want for me. And I know whatever you decide will be okay. Please help me recover my faith again.’” Joel goes on to say, “I was like a ship in the middle of the sea, not knowing where to go.” But as things started to change, Joel realized that God was navigating.

Environmental Specialist with the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging. Thanks to Open Door Mission, my mom is currently working.” The Mission even helped make sure Joel had everything he needed for school. “I never let my personal life affect my school life—ever. It didn’t matter if I didn’t have a penny in my pocket or I was hungry or cold, it did not impact my school life.”

Joel’s dedication really shows. And it’s paying off! He was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Nebraska, Omaha. And his mom is getting ready to move into Permanent Supportive Housing through Open Door Mission. Joel has big plans. And he knows wherever he goes, God will be with him. “Even when you don’t think He is behind everything, He is. And that’s something I had to discover for myself.”

Of the Mission, Joel says, “They are rebuilding lives, because you don’t have to die physically to be dead. They are reviving people into a Christian life.”