Love is sorely missing in our culture and in society. On any given night, 41,000 teens experience homelessness. Fifty percent of teens have entered the juvenile justice system, and 69 percent report experiencing mental health issues.*
While many factors play into these few statistics from the National Conference of State Legislators, few towns are fully equipped to handle the plethora of homeless youth each year.
Author Joann Wittler grew up with a policeman father, but the tragedies on the streets did not reach Joann’s heart until she was worshiping in church one Sunday morning. “I heard God’s voice, crystal clear, say, ‘You will be the mother to many.’” At fifty-three years old, Wittler felt certain she was too old to answer God’s call, but he had a plan. Part personal story and part ministry memoir, A Woman’s Journey to Becoming Mother 2 Many describes the depths of tenacity, love, and faith Joann and her husband, Steve, navigated to reach the homeless youth in their community near Seattle, Washington.
When asked why she wrote the book, Wittler replied, “I wanted people to see that they could be what God wants them to be. Age is just a number—God can use anyone.” While following Wittler’s saga of learning how to set up a nonprofit, being turned down by the city council multiple times, loving society’s forgotten population, readers will find God’s love and learn they matter to our heavenly father.
* https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/homeless-and-runaway-youth.aspx
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joann Wittler loves sunshine but lives in the least sunny part of Washington State. A native of Seattle, Joann grew up in Tacoma and Puyallup, where she met her husband, Steve. They have a blended family, which has taught them the power of unconditional love, especially when raising teenagers. This patience served its purpose when they started Mother 2 Many, a nonprofit outreach for homeless teens, in January 2013. She and her husband travel to local skateparks in their sunshine-yellow, food-laden truck and trailer, to share a ray of hope with the youth. Visit www.mother2many.org for more information.
A Journey of Becoming a Mother 2 Many can be purchased online anywhere books are sold.