Out of the Storm: Adela’s story

Being in the hospital was hard enough for Adela, but watching on TV as Hurricane Maria ravaged her home island of Puerto Rico made it unbearable.

“I cried so much the nurses had to turn off the TV because it was getting me so upset,” says the widowed mother of three, who was receiving blood transfusions for severe anemia that led to a minor stroke.

Adela’s son and daughter were in the northern coastal city of Toa Baja, one of the hardest-hit areas on the island. As she saw video of the flooding and damage, she feared she’d never see them again. It was a week and a half before she learned they were OK.

“My daughter made it to the special area where she could call me. I just said, ‘thank you Jesus,’ and cried. It was such a relief.”

The hurricane was just the latest of the storms brewing in Adela’s life since her husband passed away in 2014. The next year, she moved to Orlando to live with her oldest daughter and help care for her grandbaby.

That worked fine until her daughter separated from her husband and started living a lifestyle Adela didn’t approve of. The stress of the situation put Adela in Central Florida Behavioral Hospital for four days. When she got out, she was on a waiting list for housing but didn’t have a place to stay short-term. That’s when she heard about the Mission’s Family Home.

“I only planned on being here for a short time, but there were problems with the paperwork and it’s taking longer. I wasn’t happy at first, but it’s turned out to be the best thing for me.”

Once she realized she was going to be here a while, Adela embraced the Mission’s Christ-centered programs. She began working as a disciple in the administration office, attended bible studies and chapel services, and accepted Jesus as her personal Savior. She was baptized in June.

“My family was mostly Catholic but I wasn’t religious. I knew there was a God but I didn’t know anything about Him until I came here. I believe that’s why He brought me to the Mission.”

Since arriving, Adela also has broken her pack-a-day smoking habit, and that’s helped with her COPD and other ailments. In fact, she says she feels better than she has in a long time and enjoys her role as a disciple.

“I don’t have money to pay for everything, but maybe I can contribute with my work. And I feel good. I work hard. At the end of the afternoon, I take a shower, have my dinner, read my Bible, and sleep well. I couldn’t sleep at night before I got here. Now I sleep like a baby.”

Adela, who has an accounting degree, is working on her English so she can land a job, and she continues to wait for her housing paperwork to go through. She also wants to bring her two youngest children here from Puerto Rico, where the recovery continues a year later and another hurricane could bring more devastation.

“My dream is to have my own place where we can be together. But I’ve put everything in God’s hands. He has His plan for me, and everything will happen in His time.”

Thanks to your support, the Mission was able to guide Adela through the storms in her life. Will you consider a gift today to help another man, woman, or family in need?