Raina is 22, a mom of two, a nail technician with her own business, and a teacher at her kids’ daycare. She’s also someone who can point to the exact time her life changed direction.
The same day she became a single mother, she made a decision: her kids were going to see a happy mom, whatever it took to get there. What she didn’t expect was how unmistakably God would start showing up to confirm she was on the right path.
The day after becoming a single mom, her car exploded with her and her kids still inside it, on a road she drove every single day. A fire truck happened to pass by at that exact moment — something she says she’d never once seen on that stretch of road before or since.
A few days later, a pastor called out of nowhere, prayed over her, and told her God had a plan for her and her kids. It was enough to send her looking for a church home. She posted in a moms’ group online, describing exactly what she needed: somewhere diverse, somewhere she’d feel welcome as a young mom, somewhere safe. She was pointed to The Journey’s Middletown location.
From the moment she walked in, she felt the welcome and the warmth from a woman named Amanda who made sure Raina wasn’t a stranger for long. But it was her daughter, hugging her on the way out and asking when they could come back, that made the decision for her.
Soon after that, Raina signed up to be baptized, ready to give her life to God fully after seeing exactly what He had brought her out of. Today, she holds onto a simple truth as a single mom: she’s never really alone. It’s her, her kids, and God.