Helping a Family Start Over – and Find a True Home
“When we moved to Rockford, we had nowhere to live, no furniture, no kitchen dishes, no bedding, no transportation,” said Lubia, recalling her family’s first days in the area. “The Salvation Army Church of Belvidere, through their pastors, bought us secondhand furniture and new beds for our two children.”
Members of The Salvation Army church communities in Belvidere and Rockford gave them additional furniture, dishes, and bedding, and helped them find a place to live. “We were fortunate to receive sincere love from everyone,” Lubia said, adding that this meant a lot to her family since they were far from their loved ones in Guatemala. “God has shown us His love through The Salvation Army, an organization that has earned the respect, trust, and favor of the community.”
Help at the Holidays
This love and support are why, years later, Lubia (pictured left) is still in the Belvidere Salvation Army community, attending the church services, teaching a teen class, and volunteering with Angel Tree and many other programs she and her family have benefitted from themselves.
Receiving Christmas gifts for their two children – Josue, now 18, and Christian, now 15 – meant a lot to Lubia and her husband. When they first moved to the area, they didn’t have jobs, and Lubia was home taking care of her children, one of whom needed a kidney transplant.
She still remembers the gifts they received for their children through our Angel Tree program that first year. “We received toys and Legos,” she said. “They loved Legos! It meant a lot because my husband and I couldn’t buy toys and other items for them.”
Sharing the Love
Motivated by her faith and how much this help meant to her family, Lubia decided to volunteer to help others. “I saw that The Salvation Army is a good place to serve in different ways to our neighbors during the year, such as Angel Tree, Thanksgiving, and delivering school supplies,” she said. Lubia also works with several ministries at the Belvidere corps, such as the youth and women’s ministries, and visits nursing homes with others in the congregation.
“Lubia is a good leader with a great heart to serve people in need,” said Major Marcelo Orbe, leader and pastor at the Belvidere corps. “She is a wonderful volunteer at the corps, a dedicated and good worker, and she loves people.”
Asked what The Salvation Army means to her, Lubia responded, “It means blessing. Belvidere Salvation Army is a place where my family and I have been blessed, and it gives us the opportunity to be a blessing to others. Belvidere Salvation Army is my family.”