• Janeen Johnally

Divine Intervention for Displaced Single Mother in Rockport, Texas

(ROCKPORT, TX - September 10, 2017) - In times of devastation, the suffering may lose hope that things will get better. As a church, The Salvation Army is devoted to reviving that hope and encouraging people to get back up again.

46-year old single mother of five, Anita Phillips, lost her home as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Anita and her three youngest children are currently sleeping in a hotel in San Antonio, over two and a half hours away from where her home once stood in Rockport. “I feel lost. I feel like I have no security,” said Anita, as she broke down in tears to Salvation Army personnel.

Although thousands of individuals were displaced after Hurricane Harvey, homelessness was an unfortunate memory of Anita’s past. “I told myself I would never be homeless again but here we are,” said Anita, who struggled with homelessness back in 2005, when she was pregnant with her youngest child. That was when Anita first received support from The Salvation Army.

Anita gave birth to her son in that housing facility, which was The Salvation Army shelter in Corpus Christi. And that Christmas, her children received Christmas gifts through the Angel Tree program.

The Salvation Army was there for Anita when she was homeless in 2012, and now The Salvation Army was there for her again, at their fixed feeding site in Rockport. After driving around with her two youngest children in the car she came across the welcome sight of the familiar red shield on the side of the mobile feeding unit, where volunteers gave the family hot meals and cold water.

With the last of her possessions now stored in her car, one valuable Anita salvaged from the debris is her faith. Just days before the hurricane, Anita had accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and savior. As fate would have it, Anita proudly showed Major Nettie Morton, a Salvation Army emotional and spiritual care officer, her baptismal certificate, which was in mint condition.

Major Nettie Morton comforted Anita after she shared her story of struggle and faith after the disaster. “Thank you guys for being here,” said Anita, “It makes me feel better knowing that somebody is here.”

Before, during, and long after disaster strikes, The Salvation Army will be there, serving people in need.

To help support the disaster relief work of The Salvation Army, donations can be made at www.helpsalvationarmy.org, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY, by texting STORM to 51555, or by check (designated “Hurricane Harvey”) mailed to PO Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301.