The Ramirez family happens to be the third family that Healing Waters Family Center faith mentors have mentored in the past two years. Steve and Terri Trujillo and Sharon Voyd gladly took the Ramirez family under their wing a year-and-a-half ago.  During this time, the Ramirez family, with their mentors' guidance and care, has made it through some difficult times. 

Family & Senior Homeless Initiative secured housing for the Ramirez family when they couldn't find work and became homeless, after relocating from South Dakota. The Ramirez family was also struggling with their kids' school problems, a lack of financial stability, and an unraveling and tumultuous relationship between Ray and Lisa, the children's mother.

When the Healing Waters Family Center faith mentor team stepped in, one of the big issues to tackle was the school struggle involving the family's five children (ranging in age from 6 to 16 years old). The 15-year-old was having difficulty progressing in the public school system and was very discouraged. When Steve suggested Wheatridge Christian Academy (the private kindergarten through high school affiliated with Healing Waters Family Center), the Ramirez's 13-year-old chose to start school there.  Their 15-year-old decided to follow suit.  Now even the family's 6- and 7-year-olds are there too, and the kids are thriving and happy in their new school community.  "Their grades went up, and they all have better self-esteem," notes Steve.  (The children are able to attend the school through grants supplied to Wheatridge Christian Academy.)

Since Steve and Terri are also foster parents, Terri helped the family deal with their financial burden by helping direct them to medical and dental services along with food and clothing banks.  And over this past year-and-a-half, the Ramirez family's faith mentors have kept in close touch, either on the phone or in person.

After their faith mentor team gave the Ramirez family much-needed direction, Steve quips, "They had to figure a lot of this out on their own since all of us on the mentor team have our own jobs to maintain. They did a lot of work to access the help they needed. We gave them a hand up, not a hand out."

After stabilizing, the family experienced another upheaval.  Just two months ago, Lisa left the family.  Steve notes, however, that despite the domestic struggle and the resulting distraction, which obviously weren't beneficial to the kids, Ray is now positively focusing his attention on his kids and his construction job.

"We've seen a lot of growth in the Ramirez family," says Steve.  "Ray has gained a lot of confidence, and they all have a better ability to maintain themselves now," he adds.  While these steadfast faith mentors were pouring themselves out to the Ramirez family, they were also actively involved in the lives of two other families who have also found a better life.

Steve sees that the community of the church and the school has been good for the family.  Steve's 5-year-old and Ray's 6-year-old are friends through school, and Steve says he and Ray have also developed a peer, parent relationship as well.  "We want to be there to support the Ramirez family.  Even after our mentoring is officially over, we'll all still be there for community support," he says, referring to the even bigger circle of community that Healing Waters Family Center faith mentors brought into the Ramirez family's lives.

Thank you Healing Waters Family Center faith mentors, for helping to bring community and wholeness to the lives of many!