Nancy was referred to Elim House by a local Hana Center as she needed to remove herself from a toxic situation with a former boyfriend. He was convinced that she was cheating on him and to prove him wrong, she attempted to end her life by swallowing an excessive amount of sleeping pills in front of him. According to Nancy, he had also tracked her whereabouts by installing a secret app on her phone.

A pastor from her church told us that before Nancy met this man, she was active in the church and did not show signs of exhaustion. She came to us completely drained of energy and spirit. Upon arrival, Kelly and Michelle, the other two residents currently at Elim House, welcomed Nancy in and prepared dinner for her with dumplings, potatoes and vegetables.

Within a week of her stay, Nancy sought out a psych evaluation at the hospital and asked to be admitted if possible due to potential mental issues. Our social workers grew increasingly aware that Nancy’s mental issues seemed to be more severe than they initially thought as she settled in at Elim House. The doctor who evaluated Nancy gave her the option to be admitted and also prescribed her medication. Nancy chose to start taking her medication and to return to Elim House. For her own safety and the safety of others at Elim House, our team kept close watch over her.

Last Sunday, Nancy voluntarily asked to be discharged from Elim House as she plans to be admitted to the hospital in about a month. Her stay was just a few short weeks but she had developed a good relationship with other residents and staff in that time. Nancy’s time with us came to a close at our weekly Sunday worship as the other residents and our team lovingly covered her in prayer and blessings. While we desire to have gone deeper with Nancy, given the mental issues she struggled with, we know she needs to be under the care of trained professionals who can properly treat her.

Many residents, like Nancy, only stay for a few weeks. We don’t know if they’ll come back or if our paths will ever cross again. But we hope the time that they spend at Elim House leaves an indelible impression of God’s sabbath, his holy rest. Our prayer is for Nancy to receive the ongoing treatment she needs to get better physically, emotionally and spiritually.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. - Psalm 46:1