The House of Mercy Blessed and a Blessing

Christopher and Lori Taylor are Phase Four residents at the House of Mercy (H.O.M.E.). The couple arrived at H.O.M.E in August 2019. They have two daughters—13-year old Lyssa and 12-year old Lanna. Both Christopher and Lori said H.O.M.E. had changed their lives for the better.

“The House of Mercy has helped me see life for what it is: a blessing to be human and a deeper understanding of scripture,” said Christopher.”

“[The House of Mercy] helped awaken my spirit, so now I strive to learn about God daily instead of living day-to-day, wondering how I’ll get my next fix,” Lori said.

The Taylors have elected to share their testimonies as an encouragement to others with similar struggles. In their words, God’s grace is vividly apparent.

Lori said, “All my life, I struggled with believing God, not believing God, and why does God hate me? I didn’t have a loving, caring father growing up. He was very strict being a cop, and nothing I did pleased him. So I turned to drugs and alcohol at a very early age to fill the void. It wasn’t until I was 32 years old, and hit rock bottom that I began looking to God and pleading for help while my husband was begging God for mercy.”

Lori’s mother-in-law told them about the House of Mercy, and they immediately packed and headed to Olney, and Lori said they are stronger than before and stand ready to continue their walk with God.

Chris said before the House of Mercy, he remembers being so ashamed of his past and hollering for mercy for his wife one day. “It was that same day that we arrived at the House of Mercy,” Chris said. “[God] not only opened our eyes to the sin that consumed us, but he also opened our hearts to His word that we might grow in spirit and truth for the rest of our days. I am grateful and more than thankful for the House of Mercy,” he said.

Chris recently started working at Cemco, while Lori is still attending classes and strengthening her faith at H.O.M.E. “The House of Mercy is an amazing place to learn how to live a good Christian life depending on Christ for everything,” Lori said. “All the staff are extraordinary people with strong testimonies.”

The Taylors’ story is inspirational as they went from the verge of homelessness to the safety of H.O.M.E. Lori refers to Psalm 34:17 “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”