Today, a woman named Tonya Fisher (pictured above) came into the church office. Tanya shared her story with me, and as she did, you could tell that she has a good heart.
Tanya went to jail for 5 years from hanging out with the wrong crowd. She was recently released from jail, and she is now looking to start her life over with her 15 year old daughter who goes to McKinney Boyd High School. She also has another child who is 22 years old.
As we talked, Tonya shared how she had grown up in a home where her parents constantly fought and “cut themselves.” She wanted to stop this cycle with her daughter. In jail, one of her teachers gave her a doll and said, “Each time you say to your child, ‘Go away—you bother me,’ tear off one of the doll's arms. This is what happens to your child when you tear them down.” She realizes that her daughter watches everything that she does, and she wants to be a good mother.
Tonya divorced her husband ten years ago because of his crack addiction. She had prayed to God for him to cure his crack addition. She said that she had seen God cure others of this. She has tried to stay friends with him, but he has not wanted to be friends.
A postman had suggested that she come to our church. She said that she still believed that there were good people who wanted to help. She said that she needed clothes, and that she wanted to start looking for a job. She had a friend who would let her rent out half of her house. She also needs furniture—a full size bed, a dresser drawers, that type of thing to furnish her half of this house. She has nothing. I said that sometimes our members donated furniture, particularly when they knew that there was a need. So I asked her if I could send out her story and ask if people could donate. She said yes.
Tonya also wants to get involved in a jail ministry, and has worked with the chaplain there to try to make this happen. She would like to meet those involved in the jail ministry at High Pointe.
Tonya will be back up at the Clothes Closet on Wednesday, looking for more clothes that fit her. They are a bit larger sizes. For our local people in the McKinney area who would like to meet Tonya, help her with the jail ministry, befriend her, or study with her (she does have some biblical knowledge), you are welcome to come up and meet her on Wednesday at 12 PM at the Clothes Closet. I was planning on going with those who wanted to help her to lunch on Wednesday. If you want to help with any of these things, please email at jamesnored@hpcoc.net.
If you can donate any larger clothes or furniture, please contact Dalana Squires at dalanalin@yahoo.com.
What does this story show us? It shows us that there are people out there who, despite terrible circumstances and mistakes that they have made in their lives, really want to change and live for God. Please pray for Tonya, that God may help her in every way.
What does hearing about Tonya make you feel?
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