Heather

If I could use one word to describe Heather, it would be loving. The minute we sat down next to her, she smiled and started talking to us like we were old friends. She could not get enough of Benjamin and Isaac and told me over and over again how lucky I was to have such cute babies. I could tell she was hungry as she pulled out the crackers from the Cassie Kit, but to my surprise she first offered one to Benjamin! She loved seeing the smile on his face as he eagerly took it from her hand. Then she pulled out everything she had in her bag to try to find something he could play with. He especially loved her large collection of flashlights and she couldn't stop laughing at his excitement as she showed him how to make them blink and change colors. I could easily tell that she was a person who loved easily and whole-heartedly and who got her happiness from making those around her happy.

As we talked, Heather confided in me that it was very hard to be homeless and to feel like people around her were looking down at her or judging her. She said that she wishes people could understand that no one chooses to be living on the streets. The difficult events that happened in her life and the life of her homeless friends really could have happened to anyone.

Heather has definitely had her share of trials in her life. She had her first baby before she was even a teenager, as a result from a rape. She told me that her baby was a bright ray of light during this dark time of her life. Sadly, this baby only lived to be 6 months old. While she was at court, testifying against her abuser, her baby died from an accidental suffocation as a result of the caretaker's neglect. Later, at the young age of 14, Heather married a 29 year old man who she thought would make all her problems disappear. She told me that she loved him very much and dreamed that she would raise a big, happy family with him. However, this marriage turned out to be what she calls the worst mistake of her life. Her husband was physically, verbally and emotionally abusive and would frequently beat her, pull her hair and call her names. Heather hoped he would change and, although miserable, she stayed with him for several years. Together they had 4 children. She and her kids finally escaped his abuse and found refuge in a Women's Shelter. But when his constant death threats and disturbances began to endanger the other residents at the shelter, Heather found herself homeless and struggling to care for her 4 young children on the streets.

Life did improve for a few years and she was able to find a job and rent a small apartment in Provo. Heather told me after being homeless, she felt so blessed to have a roof over her head again. She invited all of her friends from the streets to sleep every night at her apartment and would often have around 17 people sleeping on the floor and couches of her small living room. She loved being able to help them and made a goal that one day she would own a huge house where she could invite every homeless person in Provo to sleep. However, after 4 years she lost her job and was back on the streets. 

Heather said her greatest joy in life is her family. The smile on her face and sparkle in her eyes brightened as she told me about each of her 4 children and 9 grandchildren - and another baby grandson on the way! Her youngest son, Levi, lives with her on the streets, but she rarely gets to see the others. She told me that although her kids would like to visit her, she doesn't want her grandkids to see her living this way or to worry about her.

I was surprised when Heather told me that she has no regrets for the difficulties that she has gone through in her life. She told me that she knows that each experience has made her the strong woman that she is today. She also has become compassionate towards people in every situation because her trials have made it so she can truly relate with them. She is well-loved by her friends in her homeless community, and most of them affectionately call her "Mom"!  Heather impressed me by her positive, cheerful attitude even in the bleakest of circumstances, and her strong desire to bless the lives of those around her, even though she, herself, has so little.

This kit delivery was made possible by a donation from: Dan Moyes, Schertz, TX