A Life-Giving Connection

A small group of women from the First Assembly of God Church in Spokane visits the Crisis Shelter twice a month to worship and pray with the women there. “Some of our team are typical church ladies,” said Mary Ann Dalessi, “and some of us are women with a past who’ve been reformed. We tried everything that was out there before we got to Christ. We see ourselves in these women. We can really relate.”

Asked why she keeps coming back, Janene Johnson said, “Our greatest command is to love. As Christians, we learn to see people through the eyes of Christ, and through His eyes, we see people with great compassion. I go to the Crisis Shelter because of the enormous blessing I get from the women. The opportunity to just be able to hug and cry with hurting women and to pray with them is worth more than I have words to describe.”

For the most part, Mary Ann described the experience as “life-giving,” but admitted it can also be discouraging at times. “We can be broken. Sometimes we’ll pull off to the side of the road as we’re driving home and pray.” Ultimately, though, “it causes me to praise the Lord because He hasn’t forgotten them or us.”