In 2004 when God said He would fill the chairs of the Waiting Room with families who were grieving just like me, I never imagined all He had planned.
Six years prior, my son came home from college and told me he was gay. I remember the day as if were yesterday. I was overwhelmed with sadness and fear. I worried that one day I would hear these very words, and I dreaded that they were out. I knew that our lives would change forever. Learn More
And change they did. After five years of grieving in silence, I finally reached out for help. I discovered there were organizations that helped families who were impacted by homosexuality. Sadly the nearest ministry was over 400 miles away, but I would have traveled twice that distance to share my pain and grief with someone who would have understood. Walking into that room that night was a little frightening, but hearing the stories of others helped me to see that I wasn't alone. I finally found the compassion, comfort, and hope I had so longed for over the years since my son’s announcement.
When I returned home I began praying about starting a ministry at my church. When I approached my church leadership, they were very supportive and our first family support group was held in May of 2004. Initially the ministry was called “Out of the Dark and Into the Light” because it described how I felt when I first began to share my secret.
A few months after our first meeting, I was spending some time alone with God and He reminded me of a dream He had given me a year prior. In the dream my son and I were outside a hospital family waiting area; beyond us a set of elevator doors. I was crouched down holding him across my lap. It was as if the Holy Spirit had come upon us both and we were crying tears of joy; overwhelming joy. The Lord had used that dream on many occasions but this time He was asking me to look at it again and specifically the chairs in the waiting room. When I did, I noticed they were all empty, which was fairly unusual for a hospital waiting room. He said He knew that they were empty and explained that He would fill those chairs with families who were grieving alone just like I had been. I knew at that moment the name would change to Waiting Room.
And fill them He did. In 2006, we added another Waiting Room and quickly discovered that there were families across the country that did not have a ministry in their area. Realizing that God had more families that needed Waiting Rooms, we formed Waiting Room Ministry, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to help families by empowering the Church to respond to their grief.
Believing God wants to reach out to those who don't have a support in their area, we are working on developing On Line Waiting Rooms and offer virtual Waiting Rooms for families facing all types of silent grief. Please consider helping us by making a financial contribution to Waiting Room Ministry.
Ministering to Families (continued)
