Motel living — it's not the place to be,” says Debbie Montgomery. Narcotics trafficking and the inevitable raids by the Drug Enforcement Agency, the lack of a safe play environment for her six-year-old son, Bryce, and the inability to trust anyone make the already tough job of making ends meet even tougher. Add to that an abusive husband, and it's enough to put anyone at their wit's end.

Debbie and her husband were forced to move into a motel at the end of 2004 when they simultaneously lost their jobs. After about a year of living in survival mode, Debbie, who was staying home with her son while her husband worked, got the number for the Orange County Rescue Mission from the side of our War on Hunger Vehicle and contacted us in December 2005. Joel Gumbayan was assigned to help her.

At first, Debbie was hesitant, and even a bit standoffish. “Living here, you learn not to trust anybody. As things went along, I got to know him, and the things the Mission did... they wanted to help us.” Meanwhile, Debbie's relationship with her husband degraded to the point that they could no longer live under the same roof. When he left in June 2006, she secured a graveyard position as a security guard in order to hold things together. About that time, Joel introduced Debbie to an OCRM program called REstart, a great opportunity for Debbie to gain marketable skills in the real estate management industry.

However, it would prove to be a significant challenge. Debbie would now have the unenviable task of raising her son while going to school in the afternoons and working through the wee hours. Sleep became quite a commodity. Here's what her schedule looked like: 

• 6:30 a.m. — home from work, get Bryce ready for school
• 9:00 a.m. — squeeze in a nap
• 12:00 p.m. — get ready for school
• 1:00-5:00 p.m. — REstart real estate management course
• 5:30 p.m. — Pick up Bryce, fix dinner, put Bryce to bed, maybe get another nap
• 9:30 p.m. — go to work.

Debbie recalls, “I kept telling myself, ‘It's gonna be worth it, it's gonna be worth it.’” At the end of six weeks, Debbie quit her job in order to participate in the four-week, full-time internship required for graduation and certification. On November 16, 2006 she (and six others) were part of a graduation ceremony highlighting their accomplishments.

Now in the job-placement phase of the REstart program, Debbie has already received a job offer pending final arrangements with the temporary agency for whom she now works. “I think it’s a great start, I really do,” she beams. “I’m looking forward to it. There’s so much out there; I’m just hoping to take this and run.”

This is wonderful news, but here's the best part of the story. During the past 12 months, as Debbie's relationship with the Orange County Rescue Mission developed, there was another relationship, unbeknownst to her, that was developing concurrently — her relationship with God. As is the practice of all OCRM staff, Joel has all along been taking steps to introduce Debbie to the idea of trusting God to meet her needs.

As time progressed, and Debbie began to trust Joel, she also began to open her heart to the Lord. At the end of the interview for this article, Debbie was asked if she was willing to put her trust in Jesus as her Lord, and she uttered a tearful “Yes!”

Thanks to you, and the gifts of time, effort, skill and finances that you provide, there is now not only one more successful graduate of the REstart program, but also one more member of the kingdom and family of God!