{"id":248,"date":"2026-04-16T15:18:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:18:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/?p=248"},"modified":"2026-04-16T15:18:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:18:57","slug":"maria-prayed-for-a-fresh-start-she-found-it-through-lccm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/?p=248","title":{"rendered":"‘Maria’ prayed for a ‘fresh start.’ She found it through LCCM."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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In April, \u2018Maria\u2019 arrived at FRESH Start Emergency Shelter & Resource Center crying in pain because she felt hopeless.By July, she is leaving the shelter crying tears of joy because God had answered her prayers for a home.\u201cYou have to have that faith,\u201d she said. \u2018You have to humble yourself and stop being mad. You have to have a goal. I never thought I\u2019d have that support.\u201dRelated<\/strong>What does LCCM’s emergency shelter look like on the other side of COVID-19?<\/a>\u00a0Ten years ago, \u2018Maria\u2019 said she had everything \u2013 well paying jobs, a house, a car and nice material things, but something felt wrong.\u201cI\u2019d get so angry with the world,\u201d she said. \u201cI was getting sick, and I didn\u2019t know it.\u201d\u2018Maria\u2019 was diagnosed a short time later with multiple sclerosis.\u200bMultiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.\u00a0<\/div>
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Can you live without a bed? Can you eat on a tight budget? Or live without a car? Take the 30-day Hurdle to Housing challenge to help us raise funds for FRESH Start Emergency Shelter and Resource Center.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>
<\/div> Hurdles to housing<\/span> <\/a>
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Work through real-life scenarios faced by people living in poverty by registering for our free poverty simulator event taking place Aug. 20.\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>
<\/div> poverty simulator<\/span> <\/a>
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Symptoms can include tremors, difficulty walking, mood swings, uncomfortable tingling and burning, difficulty speaking, vision problems, balance issues, fatigue, urinary issues, and cognitive issues.\u2018Maria\u2019 experienced many of these symptoms, and eventually had to stop working and had to rely on Social Security disability benefits.But as her physical health deteriorated, she felt her spiritual health was, too. \u00a0\u201cHere, I\u2019m realizing I\u2019m not going to church. I\u2019m not praying, I\u2019m not wrestling with God anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI was just giving up.\u201dShe had moved in with relatives over the years.\u00a0Most recently, she could no longer stay with a relative, which left her with little options.She called the Lebanon County Assistance Office and they gave her three phone numbers. One of those phone numbers was for FRESH Start. When she called, she spoke to Amanda, LCCM\u2019s shelter support staff member.\u00a0\u201cI said \u2018I\u2019m disabled, I don\u2019t have anywhere to go and I need help.\u2019\u201d she said.When she arrived at LCCM\u2019s FRESH start, she was thankful for shelter but says she asked God why this was happening.\u201cI worked so hard in my life, why am I here?\u201d she said. \u201cI said God, please, I need positive people and that push.\u201dFresh Start staff encouraged \u2018Maria,\u2019 as she applied for apartments and offered comfort to her in her time of need. This resulted in some much-needed rest.\u201cI slept like I haven\u2019t in months. I\u2019m being fed, and I\u2019m doing what I\u2019m supposed to do. I\u2019m following the rules,\u201d she said.Still, \u2018Maria\u2019 struggled to find a home. Due to the shortage of affordable housing units in Lebanon County, it was difficult to find an apartment.\u201cI said, \u2018but God, what else do you want? I\u2019m not questioning it, but just give me that light, give me that hope.\u201dShe kept turning to Psalm 17 for comfort.\u201cProtect me, guide me and take me in your wings,\u201d she prayed. \u201cLight that path.\u201dShe said every time she got defeated, LCCM staff encouraged her and cheered her on, reminding her to have faith.She had sent a text to her friends up and down the East Coast who prayed hard for her as well.Then, in July, her prayers were answered.\u201cThey said, \u2018congratulations, we\u2019re giving you the apartment,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t stop crying because I\u2019m so overwhelmed with joy.\u201dMaria credits God, prayer and LCCM staff for helping her, and encourages anyone struggling with homelessness to reach out.\u200b\u201cI had to go through this because I\u2019m just a little grain, you know. I\u2019m not the only one,\u201d she said. \u201cI would encourage anybody who has been abused, who stopped using drugs, who are needy and have their kids to get themselves together and come here because not only are you going to get people who are spiritual and have that bond with God and only have kind words, but you can come here and get yourself together. This is where it\u2019s at.I said to God, I need a fresh start,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd look, I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In April, \u2018Maria\u2019 arrived at FRESH Start Emergency Shelter & Resource Center crying in pain because she felt hopeless. By July, she is leaving the shelter crying tears of joy because God had answered her prayers for a home. \u201cYou have to have that faith,\u201d she said. \u2018You have to humble yourself and stop being […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/heuristic-yonath.40-160-33-16.plesk.page\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}