Stories Of Hope

Ask Jim and Jeannie Slaughenhoup about their family, and they’ll show you pictures of their grandkids in Alabama and tell you about their extended family from Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what happened when two very ordinary grandparents started a cooking class for refugee women in Clarkston, Georgia.

Frank Brown lived on a Chicago subway train. He spent his days looking out the window, trying to make himself invisible, and asking God, “Why me?” In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear what happened when an inner-city Chicago church gave Frank the keys to his very own penthouse. Go to SendRelief.org/poverty to learn how you can meet needs and change the lives of people in your community who need to find a home.

Drea was a good girl who made bad decisions. In this episode of Stories of Hope, find out how easy it was for Drea to end up on the streets and how hard it was for her to leave the world of human trafficking behind. Go to SendRelief.org/human-trafficking to learn how you and your church can reach out to people like Drea.

Pastor Joey Anthony didn’t set out to save someone’s life. He just wanted to find a way for his Colonial Heights, Virginia, church to meet the needs of people in their community. In this episode of Stories of Hope, hear how the people of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church blessed their neighbors in ways they never thought possible. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you can meet needs in your community through the Home Fire Campaign.

James Kamara wanted out. But he was trapped in his old, violent, gang-banging life—trapped until the day they came looking for him. He never imagined—no one could have ever imagined—what would happen once they found him. Go to SendRelief.org/Poverty to learn how you and your church can reach out to people like James who live in challenging inner-city environments

James kept a box underneath his bed, and no one but him knew what was inside. But then everything changed when Colleen Smith and her volunteers at GEM, an East Baltimore kid’s mentoring ministry, discovered the secret inside the box. Learn you and your church can build witnessing relationships with inner-city kids at SendRelief.org/Poverty.

Statistically speaking, New York City’s South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven is one of the most difficult and dangerous places in America to raise children. Fifteen years ago, Andrew Mann moved here from a rural Missouri community to do what he calls “upside down” ministry. What has happened since then is quite a story. Learn how you and your church can reach out to families living in challenging inner-city environments at SendRelief.org/Poverty.

They were once perhaps the happiest kids to see the school day end and the most reluctant to start homework. Now, refugee kids in Clarkston, Georgia, race across a church parking lot to see who can get to their homework first. Find out what changed in this episode of Stories of Hope.

Any good mother will tell you—vegetables are good for you. But when Renee Parsons and Central Baptist Church in Ashland, Kentucky met Amber Sammons, a homeless heroin addict, they learned there’s a lot more potential for good in a vegetable than most anyone ever realized. To learn more about how God is using churches in Appalachia to meet needs and change lives of men, women and children worn down by poverty, go to SendRelief.org.

A small town in rural Alabama is the last place you might expect to find victims of human trafficking. This is what happened when a self-described “Vacation Bible School lady” discovered them in her own community. Some of the material in this episode is graphic and may not be suitable for young ears. Learn how to help victims of human trafficking in tangible ways at SendRelief.org/Human-Trafficking.

When opportunity knocked, Margaret Schreve, the children’s minister at Houston River Baptist Church in Sulfur, Louisiana, knew she had to respond. But when she thought about what it would take for her small-town church to launch a big-city ministry, she knew she needed expert help. Fortunately for her, she knew just the right expert to call. Learn more about the Graffiti 2 Ministry Center at SendRelief.org/Ministry-Centers.

Seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Cynthia Martin and her team of volunteers are on call.  Refugees in Las Vegas know when they need a ride, an English-speaker, or just a friend, the Christians from Cynthia’s Safely Home ministry are the ones to call. This is the story of how far one or two simple acts of kindness can go. Learn how your church can minister to refugees at the Send Relief Ministry Center in Clarkston, Georgia.

A long time ago, a lonely little girl living in a refugee camp made a promise to God. That little girl’s name was Zera. In her native language of Kirundi, “Zera” means “seed” so it made perfect sense for God to grow Zera’s promise into something big and beautiful. Learn more about the GenSend program for college students at SendRelief.org/GenSend. Find out how you can serve refugees and internationals at SendRelief.org

These are the lies little girls hear—how many curves you have, how many heads you turn—this is what determines your worth. But when one lady in Baltimore decided girls in her neighborhood needed someone to tell them the truth, something unexpected happened. Learn how you and your church can mentor children in struggling communities at SendRelief.org.

One day, Jon and Carly Souza were newlyweds. The next day, they were the parents of four children, five and under. In this episode of Stories of Hope, spend a day with the Souzas, now a Las Vegas family of nine, and discover the heroic and humdrum steps they took to become an instant family. Learn how you and your church can get involved in foster care at SendRelief.org, and get practical tips and tools on the Adopting and Fostering Home Podcast, also from Send Relief.

When little kids become hard cases, Melanie Watt says, “Bring them to me.” This is a story about a retired school teacher, some kids who hurt and their 15-hundred-pound mutual friend. Learn how to meet needs and change lives at SendRelief.org

The events of August 25, 2017, changed Jaime Garcia and his church forever. In this episode of Stories of Hope, find out what happened on their best, worst day ever, and discover the nothing-is-normal lessons God has taught Houston’s Bethel Baptist Church since then. Learn how to be a crisis-ready church at SendRelief.org/Crisis-Response

What do you tell yourself when the world tells you there’s no hope? One night 50 years ago, Albert Miller made the worst decision of his life. He returned to the streets of Baltimore looking for physical help and spiritual re-creation. Learn more about Josh Turansky’s ministry in the spring issue of On Mission magazine (coming soon) at namb.net/OnMission. Learn more about racial reconciliation at namb.net/Undivided. Learn how you can meet needs in your community at SendRelief.org. Listen to Josh Turansky’s podcast: I Love Humans. Listen to Albert Miller’s podcast: Yogi Albert Speaks.

Bruce ate out of garbage cans. He had a good reason why. Now, Bruce helps feed hungry people. Just like hundreds of born again people on New York City’s Lower East Side, he tells his life story in two chapters, and he’s learned some things he wants you to know. Learn you and your church can reach out to the hungry at SendRelief.org/Poverty.

What do you do when it feels like you can’t do anything? When one of the most destructive hurricanes in Puerto Rico’s history hits Jorge Santiago’s hometown, he sets out to do the almost impossible. Learn more about Jorge’s ministry at AnnieArmstrong.com, and find out how you can volunteer in Puerto Rico at volunteer.SendRelief.org.