January 25, 2025
DOUGLAS, Ga. – A down-and-out mother of five young children who had lost her job, her car and her home was looking at a very bleak Christmas.
That is until Georgia Baptists across the state learned of her plight and stepped up, providing not just gifts for the children and enough money to cover a few months rent in a new home but also a minivan to replace the car that had broken down.
“It has been just so amazing to see this unfold,” said Gentry Colson who serves with the nonprofit Families Together, a Georgia organization that connects churches with families in need. “To see all the wheels in motion is just overwhelming. God did this. It’s just wonderful.”
As the situation unfolded, Colson was stuck at home because of flu and was limited in how she could respond. All she knew to do was to post on Facebook that the family needed help.
That’s all it took.
A Georgia Baptist ministry near Atlanta, which asked to remain anonymous, donated the late-model Kia Sedona. And people across the state gave cash for the family.
“We raised just over $6,000,” Colson said. “For small-town Georgia, that’s a huge amount. We had enough money that we were able to pay for her car insurance for six months, able to pay for the tag and title, and she has this beautiful, pristine condition minivan.”
The mother and children whose identity isn’t being disclosed because of their circumstances had sought help from Families Together once before and had been one of the organization’s success stories.
“She had overcome a drug addiction,” Colson said. “She became a Christian and was faithful to her church. She was just really doing well. What really stood out to me is that she was the first mom who came back and volunteered with our ministry to help other families.”
But, Colson said, the woman’s husband turned back to drugs. She left with her children, ending up living in a motel. Then, her car broke down and she lost her job.
“She was suddenly a single mom with five kids with no job and no car and homeless,” Colson said. “She was just at the bottom of a pit.”
Colson, a member of Eastside Baptist Church in Douglas, reached out to Pastor Ron Sweatt at First Baptist Church of Alma, Ga., to see if his congregation would be willing to help the family.
The answer was yes.
Sweatt handed over the minivan’s keys to the tearful mother on Monday.
“It was a sweet moment for sure,” Sweatt said. “The kids asked if the minivan was a Christmas present. I said, “Yes, it is a Christmas present from Jesus.”
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To learn more about Families Together, call 912-501-4200.
