Danielle’s Story: Helping Families in Crisis
Have you ever seen a need so great that you feel compelled to do something to help, even though it might be uncomfortable? This is Danielle’s story.
Danielle, her husband Jon, and their two young children have attended Hillside for five years. Danielle recently launched Hillside’s partnership with Together for Good, a local ministry with the vision to live out Isaiah 1:17: “Learn to do good. Seek justice. Correct oppression. Bring justice to the fatherless. Plead the widow’s cause.”
“Together For Good comes alongside local families in crisis before their children are abused or neglected—and before the Child Protection Agency steps in,” Danielle explains. “[It] allows Christian families to care for children and keep them safe while their parents battle issues. Together for Good is a lifeline to families—mostly single moms—who have no other support or safe place for their children while they are battling addiction, homelessness, or medical emergencies.”
Recalling the challenges of parenting young children, Danielle says “When our children were young we absolutely needed grandparents to come support us so we could just get some breathing room as we did life—but not everyone has safe, supportive family members that can help, which leaves families and children in a vulnerable position to be abused and neglected.”
Danielle’s involvement with Together for Good dates back nearly a decade, when she and her husband first got approved to be a host family.
“We babysat a kiddo who was in a long term hosting placement, as those hosts needed to use a Together For Good-approved family [for a babysitter], so it was an easy way to get comfortable with watching someone else’s child,” she recalls. “That was almost ten years ago, and we have been able to host several children for weekends when we have the capacity. We took a break when our kids were younger and we knew we couldn’t handle an extra kiddo, but now that our kids are out of diapers, we’ve started hosting again.”
Serving as a host family with Together for Good has been deeply impactful to Danielle, and she has seen God meet her, even in the more challenging aspects of hosting.
“I am an ‘adult’ person, not a ‘kid’ person. Playing and planning activities with kids is not something that comes naturally to me—but God is bigger, and what doesn’t come naturally to me, He offers his Holy Spirit to give our family just enough kindness and patience. We enjoy that we can bring in extra kiddos to our home, even when it can be uncomfortable or not convenient. I have seen the power of the Holy Spirit working in me and my family when we step out to serve when we don’t always want to.”
While Danielle found hosting to be a blessing, she recognized that the need for more help is tremendous.
“There are so many needs in the Twin Cities that go unmet, from moms trying to get out of abusive relationships, trying to find a job trying to find a stable shelter, that you can’t bring your toddlers to and be successful.”
So she decided to take action.
“I found some like-minded Hillsiders, and we formed the Together for Good ministry team to bring more visibility to Hillside, and to pray for more Hillsiders to step up and get trained to be able to support local families in crisis.”
In the fall of 2022, Danielle and her team formed the Hillside Together for Good Support Network, inviting Hillsiders to get involved with Together for Good at whatever level they are able—from becoming a host family, to joining a notification list to learn of practical needs as they arise.
Danielle considers how becoming involved with Together for Good is a great way to demonstrate pro-life values, and asks an important question: “How can we as a church show the love, compassion, and service of Jesus to these mothers who chose life…? Together for Good provides a pathway for churches to do that—to help moms in crisis when they don’t have any support networks—when stress is high, when substance abuse is tempting, job security is stressful, and parenting is hard.”
One of the greatest needs is for host families—and on May 11, 6-9PM, Hillside will be a hosting a foundational Together for Good training, which will meet one of the four required steps to becoming an approved host family. Danielle strongly encourages any Hillsider who is even remotely considering becoming a host family to attend the training.
“Once you are approved to host, there is no obligation or expectation that you will. There were many years that we did not have capacity, but being ready to host allows you to see all of the urgent needs that come through, and pray for them. Attending the training will also give you information how you can tell other Christians about Together For Good as they might have capacity and be interested in serving – and the needs are so great that we need church families to consider.”
“This is a way for the church to show up as the loving hands and feet of Jesus, showing compassion and serving sacrificially.”
Please sign up today for the Together for Good foundational training on May 11 from 6-9PM.