“The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these . . .” Matthew 19:14.

“My children were given a new mommy . . . a mommy that was learning and growing and finding out what real love was all about” – Naomi.

Children are resilient.  But also vulnerable.  By design, they are meant to be cared for, nurtured, protected.  Sometimes, however, the plan goes desperately wrong.  The adults in their lives lose their way and become incapable of caring for themselves, let alone anyone else.  In such crises, children often learn coping mechanisms that increase their chances of survival in the short term but have the potential to damage their spirits over the long haul.  The ministries of the Union Gospel Mission are committed to meeting the needs of children in crisis and restoring the long-term, caring relationships that allow them to focus not on survival but on the very important business of growing up.

Naomi came to the Women’s Recovery Program at Anna Ogden Hall from the psychiatric unit of a hospital.  Dealing with an abusive childhood, an abusive marriage and a long history of drug and alcohol addiction, she had become suicidal. Looking back, her love for her girls – Kierra and Malia, now 5 and 4 years old – was never in question.  In fact, their very existence may have saved her life, but “I had turned off my feelings, my heart.  I was checked out.  I had sunk so far into depression I couldn't hardly eat or even barely move at times.  My sweet girls would pull at me and say ‘Mommy, eat.’  But I couldn't.”

 When she first arrived at Anna Ogden Hall, Naomi often hid in her closet.  Even when she emerged, she would stay hidden within her hooded sweatshirt.  The desire to run away was constant.  “I had no trust for anyone.”

Due to her instability, Naomi was separated from her daughters during her first five months in the Women’s Recovery Program.  While she missed them terribly, she also needed the time to heal. 

When Naomi was ready, her girls came to live at Anna Ogden Hall with her. 

As children’s coordinator Rachel Patton explained, reunions – while wonderful – can also be difficult.  “When mom’s ready to be the mom again, there’s a transitional time.  She’s strong enough.  She’s ready.  She wants to take care of her kid. She wants to be the mom. But that is a really long road, and it’s hard both for mom to figure out how to do it and for the child. They’re really struggling with the question, Is mom really going to be there for me?  So they’re angry, and they’re so little they don’t know how to say, ‘I’m mad at you for leaving,’ but they express it in so many ways.” 

Naomi concurred: “When my girls first came, they were out of control!  They would throw horrendous fits and test their boundaries every chance they could.”

Rachel stressed again and again that trust is re-established over time. Moms often feel guilty about having let their children down. Hence, their tendency is to move in what seems like the opposite direction and give their children everything they want.  What Rachel and the staff of the Women’s Recovery Program try to model, however, is a Christ-like authority – humility, kindness and compassion – and clear, consistent boundaries.  In this way, a safe, secure environment is created where kids are free to be kids.

Naomi and her girls, who have been gone from Ogden for over a year, look back on their time there with great fondness and gratitude.

“Before coming to Anna Ogden Hall, we were all trapped in darkness.  Each day there brought more and more light into our lives as we learned more about Jesus and experienced unconditional love.  We felt so safe and protected, probably for the first time in all of our lives.  Which gave us room to grow.  We learned boundaries side-by-side . . . But I think the biggest difference made for my children was they were given a new mommy.  Not a perfect mommy, but a mommy that was learning and growing and finding out what real love was all about.”