Michelle’s Story
Michelle’s connection to MAD Ministries runs through her sponsor, Stephanie, a relationship that has spanned years and left a lasting mark. “Every time she came, it was always so hard to say goodbye because we had such a good time,” Michelle recalls. The bond ran so deep that goodbyes would start early. Even before the time came to leave, they’d already be crying three days beforehand, knowing what was coming.
Twelve years ago, Christina visited Colorado and stopped by Stephanie’s house, where she noticed something that touched Michelle deeply: photos of Michelle, displayed on the refrigerator. When Christina mentioned it, Michelle was moved. “I was so glad to know that it was real, that Stephanie had me in her heart,” she says, realizing the photos weren’t just kept somewhere, they were part of Stephanie’s daily life.
That relationship gave Michelle more than friendship. When she didn’t have the resources to hold a wedding celebration or make her marriage official, Stephanie stepped in. “I didn’t have enough resources to make the party and to make it official, so I was blessed by Stephanie with the party,” Michelle explains.
Even now, small details carry that history forward. Michelle still bakes with an old mixer, one she could easily replace, but chooses not to. “It is a very special one,” she says of the well-worn equipment, a piece that has practically become part of her own personal museum.
Reflecting on what the organization (Making A Difference Ministries) has meant to her overall, Michelle doesn’t hold back her gratitude. “The organization has helped me, given me a word, and restored me. I am very grateful. I am very shy, but I have to thank every one of the Americans. Believe in us.”
Her hopes now center on her family, especially her daughter, Hayala, who has a skin condition. “I ask you to pray for this. This is also part of my dream, that my daughter gets better,” Michelle shares.
Raising her son, Haifi (referred to in some notes as Hayifi), has brought its own challenges. Like many boys who reach a certain age within the program, he began pushing against the structure and discipline, telling his mother he was ready to leave. Michelle held firm. “I said, ‘No, you’re not leaving. You’re staying. You’re in the right place to get the lessons you need,'” she remembers. It wasn’t easy. “There was one day we had a confrontation that was so hard that I almost fainted, but I have been strong to keep him there.”
Drawing from her own experience, first as a child in the program, later as a volunteer, Michelle speaks with urgency about the kids still coming up behind her own children. “Please don’t give up on us. Please don’t give up on them,” she urges. She remembers what that support looked like from the other side, too. “The kids would come to me asking for a hug. That exchange helped both sides.” Having once needed that same support herself, she’s acutely aware of how many children still do.
Michelle also points to something the organization (Making A Difference Ministries) has learned through families like hers: real progress happens when the program and the home work together. “We need to walk with the family together; we need to keep in touch with them in order for the support to come from both sides,” she says. That partnership played out directly with Haifi. When Michelle noticed he was acting out and fighting, she connected with the school, and staff at MAD worked alongside them, coordinating with his teachers to reinforce support both at school and at home. The results have been visible. “With the help of the school and the family, the team worked with the school to make sure the teachers would help, and he has recently improved a lot.”
