Gayle said it all began when she lost her job with American Airlines. As the sole bread winner for her disabled husband and daughter, the loss of her pay check was truly devastating. To make ends meet she exhausted the families' savings and cashed her 401K from work. Her efforts to obtain SSI disability assistance was taking months of waiting. During this same period of time her daughter was hospitalized for three months. The bills became an impossible obstacle to pay without some form of help.
     In her letter to us, Gayle expressed her feelings about the situation she faced. "To say the least, I was almost at the end of my rope and I finally had run out of money. I had no choice but to ask for help, which I have to admit, was not an easy thing for me to do since I always managed to provide for my family."
     We hear these same words from hundreds of families each year. The circumstances change, but the results are the same. Restore Hope exists because no matter how good the economy is or what programs the government offers, families like Gayle's either fall through the cracks or run out of time waiting for the "system" to work.
     Gayle wrote us a wonderful letter to express her feelings about our role in assisting her efforts to provide food and shelter for her family. The following are statements lifted from her letter to us.
     "The people at Restore Hope Ministries were so very kind and helpful and I can't begin to tell you how very much it was appreciated. I had visited other organizations, but they never gave me the feeling of love, understanding and most of all compassion that your people did. I was able to speak with a very nice lady whom I believe was a counselor, and if nothing else, she just listened while I was able to get things off my chest and try to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We later prayed together and looked at some possible alternatives and I left the Chapel feeling so much more alive inside and my self-worth seemed to come back to me.
     "By the time I got into Rebecca's office, I was feeling much better and I realized that my family and I would make it through these rough times and be better for it. I recieved $117.23 to pay my water bill which I intend to pay back.
     "Things are getting better and we survived the hard times. My husband and daughter are both now on disability and are doing very well. I run a small business out of my home that helps out some. We lost our car and had to file bankruptcy, but the most important thing was that we had each other as a family and we had our faith to hold us together.
     "I can't thank you enough for the pleasant way I was greeted at the entrance, the love and understanding you showed me, not to mention the way your volunteers just took the time out to be helpful and give me a friendly smile or to say hello. I noticed it as I'm sure many others do too.
     "God bless you and thank you!" Gayle