About a year and a half ago, my husband and I took a long, hard look at our marriage, our family, and ourselves, and decided to make changes. We changed jobs to create more family time and less stress. We simplified our monthly expenses, cutting out excess spending. Most importantly, we started to be more intentional about praying as a family, as a married couple, and as individuals.

One of our ongoing prayers was for God to use us to bring light into the lives of others in our community. Three months ago, I got a call that would challenge us to put our prayers into practice.

Camelle, the mother of one of my second grader’s friends, was on the other end of the line. I’ll never forget the fear and anxiety in her voice when she said, “They’re gonna kick him out of school!”

I didn’t know Camelle very well, but we had spent some time with her son, Ja’Quori. He is a sweet boy, who struggles with dyslexia. They had been staying with a friend who happened to live in our same neighborhood.

I could hear the desperation in her voice as she told me how the friend they had been staying with had since moved. Camelle could not afford to live on her own with Ja’Quori, so they moved to a new home in southeast Dallas. Without a car of her own, Camelle confessed that she was having a hard time getting Ja’Quori to school on time because she didn’t always know when she could borrow a car.

By the time she reached out to me, Ja’Quori had accumulated enough tardies and unexcused absences that the school district did a residency check. When they discovered Ja’Quori was no longer living in the district, they set a deadline for his dismissal. Camelle knew changing schools would be detrimental to Ja’Quori’s education, not to mention how upset he would be to leave his friends.

The Big Question

So she asked me, one mom to another, if I would sign a paper saying that Ja’Quori would be staying with us so he could remain in his school. My mind started racing.

Immediately, I felt the Holy Spirit asking me to tell her yes, to allow Ja’Quori in our home. I called my husband to fill him in, and before I even got through the whole story, Josh said he also felt God telling him that Ja’Quori should stay with us.

I called Camelle back to tell her the good news and was met with tears of relief. How hard it must have been for her to ask us, and how worried she must have been! We went to the district office the next day to file the paperwork.

Our New Normal

Ja’Quori has been staying with us for three months now. Initially, he stayed with us from Sunday through Thursday, but after the start of the year, Camelle moved in as well so they could be together.

Our new normal includes basketball practice on Tuesday nights, homework, family dinners, story time, and prayers with Camelle and Ja’Quori. As you can probably imagine, our lives have become a little louder, but we don’t mind one bit. God's provision and handiwork are so evident when we look back over the whole process.

Camelle has mentioned several times what an impact she sees my husband, Josh, having on her son. She tells me that Josh is the first consistent male role model in Ja’Quori’s life. Both tell us that our house feels like home to them. To me, that is amazing evidence of God’s love and how He pursues us from so many different directions.

For now, the plan is for Ja’Quori and Camelle to stay with us for the remainder of the school year. We’re actively working to help Camelle find a car so she can secure a full-time job. She enrolled in the eight-week program offered by the Dallas Christian Women’s Job Corps, and is actively growing in her faith as well as work-related skill sets. There are several new job opportunities on the horizon for her.

Looking back, I can see how God prepared us for this season even before we obeyed His command to simplify our lives, and how much richer our lives have become on so many levels. He placed us right in the middle of a community of strong believers to support and pray for us. Our family is stronger and more committed to serving others because of the opportunity Camelle gave us to help her. Our children see the blessings we have been given, and love our expanded family. Josh and I are excited to see how prayer has been the catalyst for some truly amazing changes in our hearts and lives, and can’t wait to see how the Lord will continue to work in all of our lives through this journey and beyond.