Brandi
When Brandi joined the New Hope Relational Program in January 2009, she was finally at the point where her son's life-threatening illness was behind her. She had signed up when he was diagnosed with cancer 13 months before, but had to postpone enrollment to live by his bedside in a Salt Lake hospital while he had bone marrow transplants. As if this was not grueling enough, she was still reeling from a divorce she hadn't seen coming. Her rosy life had crumbled when her husband left her with four young children to raise. The seed of the New Hope Program had been planted months before when someone spoke at her church and she fully intended to check it out some day. God's timing was no accident, however. During the first month in the program, extreme financial hardship hit when her ex husband ceased to pay alimony and child support was sporadic. Her income dropped to 20% of what she was used to. Brandi had always been a stay-at-home mom but was encouraged by New Hope to find a job to make ends meet, so she started doing in-home daycare. After the loss of her husband’s salary, and with minimal income, the program taught Brandi to live within her means and she is still amazed that she was able to pay off $9,800 of the $56,000 debt incurred by divorce and hospital bills.
Bankruptcy was not a choice she wanted to make, so even though the New Hope program scared her, her motivation to become debt free pushed her to pursue the process. Over time, she came to value the accountability and discipline that curbed her desire to buy gifts for the children, all under eight years old. Now they have their own budgets, and are learning to manage money like their mother. "It was a big eye-opener for them," she says. "Before, they were oblivious as to where money came from. Now they live in the real world and have a greater appreciation for things." She says that the food pantry was exactly what she needed during her time in the program and "the children were so excited to unpack the food boxes. It was a big treat for them every Thursday evening to receive the donated chocolate muffins from Costco."
The program totally exceeded her expectations and she was surprised how much she got out of it. She found herself doing things she had never imagined before like gardening and canning. She loved the sense of community, the friendships, the understanding and comfort. She particularly appreciated the teachers for the parenting class and their genuine care for her and her kids, the close bond with her case manager, Hilary, and most of all her forever friendship with Tammy, her financial and spiritual mentor. She feels that God hand-picked Tammy to be her sister in Christ, to bond with and look up to. "God authored all of this, the timing, how I got to the program, all the details - it was all ordained." As a result of allowing herself to be transformed by the program, she is ready to take the next step as she graduates and steps out on her own again. "It was a refining scary experience, and I'm afraid of the next step - a life of discipline without accountability," she admitted. But while she faces an unknown journey, with the prospect of continuing to live from month to month, awaiting a court's decision against her ex-husband for financial reparations, she is learning to lean on God each day. He has provided every step of the way, even to reducing her house payment from $3,100 down to $850 - a small miracle in itself.
Brandi had not experienced suffering in her married life until the rug was pulled from under her. She could not have foreseen divorce, cancer and financial hardship looming on the horizon and would not have volunteered for these experiences. But, although the circumstances were different, each crisis was a trial to teach her dependence on God alone. In losing her dependence on another person, she found out who she is in Christ. She can even say she is thankful, and although being a single mom is not a role she would have chosen, she is ok with that. If you were to meet Brandi, you would notice she is a tall young woman who stands tall in her faith, willing to share her story with others if it will help them find their way towards hope in Christ.
