Members of St. Paul in Norwood Park, Illinois, Help Woman Start New Chapter in Her Life

St. Paul Lutheran Church in Norwood Park, Illinois, has been working with a woman since 2017 who was losing her childhood home to foreclosure. For 14 years, Marybeth was the caregiver for her mother. She had been unable to hold an outside job while caring for her mother, so on her mother’s death, she knew that she would be losing the house and needing to start over. Cindy Budek (from St. Paul) purchased new clothes for Marybeth, so that she could begin interviewing for a job. In April of 2018, Marybeth began working as a cashier in a grocery store. Now that she had a job, the process began to find her affordable housing within walking distance to her job as Marybeth does not drive.

Praise God, in November, Marybeth found a studio apartment that she could afford that was in walking distance to her job and would accept her 10 pound dog. On December 1, friends and members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Norwood Park, with the assistance of a truck from Lutheran Church Charities, helped Marybeth move into her new apartment.

Jennifer Boberg read a scripture reading from Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known," and Upe led a prayer of blessing for her and her new home, reminding her to call on the Lord during this new chapter in her life. Mike and Donna Lawrence from St. Paul (not pictured) also helped with the move and provided a welcome home basket filled with food for both Marybeth and her dog, and other household goods.