As Christians, many of us grew up learning the parable story, The Good Samaritan. If we had to quickly recount the main lesson out of this story it would probably be something like, “be a good neighbor” or “be nice to others.” This is an easy lesson to agree with,...
Recently, a Life Skills Leader shared her journey with someone who joined the Life Skills Program. “Dallas called in January while living in his truck. He parks in various places in Grandville and sometimes rents hotel rooms. His boss told him to call Love Your...
Jon and Kerrie were looking for a way to serve that would make an impact. “We first got involved with Love Your Neighbor because we were searching for a way to give back locally to help combat poverty in a Christ-focused way. Love Your Neighbor was the clear winner....
I heard about the Life Skills Program through Habitat for Humanity. They suggested I join this program to help me budget my money and to be able to afford a house of my own. So I did. After a long journey with Habitat, I didn't end up getting the house. But they...
I think God has a sense of humor. After 4 years of college and 4 years of teaching, I found myself working part-time at Love in the summer months for some extra income before my first baby arrived. (I had never even thought about working in non-profit). I was tasked...
Wendy had just gotten clean. Shortly after moving across the country with her 4-year-old daughter’s dad, he began using again, got caught, and Wendy lost everything. “And I did not know God.” “I didn’t pray. I knew of God, and I always had a thought in the back of my...
When Kristal began the program, she was ready to file for bankruptcy after a rough separation and divorce. Finding out about the Life Skills Program from her sister’s employee resource department, she took the courageous first step and began attending with her family....
Where better to start than the beginning. My name is Sarah and I am married to Nate and together we have 3 kids. We started the Life Skills Program in March of 2015. In January, before starting the program, we bought a house for the first time and had no idea what we...
In 2015 I was serving as a church deacon, sometimes helping folks navigate financial struggles, occasionally I’d make a referral to Love… then, in an unforeseeable whirlwind my marriage fractured and I became a single-mom of 2 living on <50% of our previous...
Amber, what initially brought you to Love? I was behind on my bills, mostly medical debt and I was really learning how limiting a bad credit score can be. I had been in an abusive marriage and I was trying to raise my two toddlers alone. Stress was getting...
“In a quaint neighborhood teaming with life my family and I found ourselves grappling with an unwelcome reality. We were like most other families. My husband, Steven and I were both holding stable jobs, our children were thriving, our home was filled with laughter and...
How did you get connected with Love's Life Skills Program? We were struggling financially and had heard of Love through our church and through shopping at the resale stores. What did you appreciate about the program? We were met the first day with dignity. We were not...
Rachel is only 24 years old and grew up in Hudsonville. She joined the Life Skills Program after she attended our Community Christmas event and received support for Christmas gifts. At that time, she was living in a small studio apartment infested with mice, having...
God has been using Love Your Neighbor’s Life Skills Program to transform lives for countless individuals and families in our community for a long time. Going back more than a decade, this transformation was happening through the same vehicle used today - relationship!...
In 2021, Shawn was experiencing financial hardship when suddenly his overtime was cut. He needed the overtime. “For a while, it was a little scary. The cupboards were empty a lot. Someone had spoken to me about Love and said they got food there. I thought it...