The news was heartbreaking – and it changed McKennah’s life seemingly overnight.

She and her daughter had moved in with a friend of the family. Her daughter needed special medical treatments, and now they were closer to her care. It seemed like the perfect situation… until Child Protective Services arrived at their door.

“They made me aware I was living with a registered sex offender,” she says. “My child’s life was in danger.”

McKennah made the decision to leave with her daughter that very same night.

“I left a good job with benefits, a pension, everything… but my daughter’s safety came first.”

McKennah knew firsthand from her own childhood how painful and scary it was to grow up in a dangerous home. She couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter facing the same.

They returned to San Diego, getting by on savings for a while, but when McKennah heard about Haven of Hope, our long-term program for women with children, she felt God leading her here.

“I wanted to address my own trauma… of feeling unwanted and unloved growing up,” she says. “Then I could be a better mom for my daughter.”

Through classes and counseling in our program, McKennah began to heal emotionally from her past, and her daughter found a safe place to learn and grow at our preschool.

McKennah’s transformation has touched her daughter’s life too. “I decided to recommit to my faith… and that’s shown my daughter we have a Father in heaven that’s protecting us. She finally feels safe. That brings me joy.”

As a recent graduate of our program, McKennah now has a stable job as an administrative assistant, and she and her daughter are preparing to move into their own apartment!

This year, McKennah will be celebrating Christmas as a new creation, filled with the great joy of God’s love. “The Rescue Mission provided us with stability and hope. It’s been a full transformation.”

To read this issue of Mission in Motion, click to download.