God will bring us a cup...

Amazing testimony of a woman who was at the end of her rope. It reminds me the real role of our churches today...

The following is a testimony given at Emmanuel Reformed Church in Paramount, California:

My name is Penny, and I am a single mother of five children. Three years ago, when my youngest child was a year old, a succession of events destroyed the life I had known, but through God's grace, I was given the life I have now.

I was in a relationship with someone for 10 years, and I felt my life was good. He had a decent job, I was off of welfare, and my world was in an upswing. Then my boyfriend fell back into his drug addiction, and it took over his life, leaving me to support my five kids alone. My apartment building was sold, and I was forced to move. The only place for me and the kids to go was a motel.

I made $324 a week and had to pay $343 in rent, so even though I worked 40 hours a week, I began cleaning rooms in the middle of the night at the motel. The $3 I made for cleaning each room helped to feed the kids during the week.

My two older children had been attending this church's junior high ministry, and they finally convinced me to come to church on a Sunday. I really enjoyed it, and God started speaking to me.

But my life became overwhelming. It was so hard to see my children suffering because of me. I just couldn't take care of them like a mother should. One night I parked in front of the church and cried. I asked God, "Why was I given these children if I am unable to take care of them?" They were hungry, unhappy, and living in a one-room motel. They were suffering because of my inability. I was trying to fix things, but it wasn't working. So I asked God if I should turn them over to the state. I cried for about two hours that night, but I got no answer. I went back to the motel and kept going.

After a few more weeks, I was falling deeper and deeper into a hole I couldn't get out of. One day after work, I was at the end of my rope. There was barely anything to feed the kids, they were arguing with each other, I had a stressful day at work, and I had to work all night cleaning rooms. There was no one to help—so I sat down at the tiny table in the room, closed my eyes, and I prayed. I asked God for strength. I told him I didn't need money to miraculously fall from the sky, but I just needed endurance through this trial. I asked him to give my children peace, and to give me a sign that I was going to make it.

After I prayed, I lifted my head and took a deep breath. Right at that moment there was a knock at my motel door. There were two people from a care team at church. They were holding a cup filled with candy. I cried. I still don't know who those people were.

There were still some hard times after that, but God gave me strength to find a new life. I joined a small group and became part of that wonderful family. Now God has moved me to a great place to live, two blocks from church. He brought me a promotion at work, so I don't have to clean motel rooms at night anymore.

I remember so clearly the feelings of helplessness and saying, "If I can just make it through today…" But our God is faithful. I look at my cup every day now. I keep it in my car as a reminder that when we as people are at our lowest, helpless and broken, if we just turn to God, he will bring us a cup.