A Second Chance—and a New Beginning

When Monique first walked through the doors of the Real Life Center, she wasn’t looking for anything extraordinary, just a way to provide a little extra help for her family.

Living in Fayetteville, Monique often helps care for her grandchildren and supports her daughter when she can. Like many families, rising costs had made things tight.
“I looked up help in my area,” she said. “I needed to find a pantry that could help me with food… so I could help my daughter and my grands.”

But what began as a simple search for food assistance became part of a much bigger story, one only God could write.

Monique’s journey has taken her across the country. Originally from Detroit, she spent most of her early life in Florida before eventually settling in the Atlanta area, where she has now lived for 15 years.

“I really call Florida home,” she said with a smile, “but this is home now too.”

Over the years, Monique built a life centered on caring for others. With a background as a nanny and a heart for serving her family, she naturally stepped into her role as a grandmother, cooking, nurturing, and helping wherever she was needed.

But her life took a dramatic and unexpected turn during the Christmas season just a few years ago.

What started as preparation for a joyful Christmas gathering quickly turned into a medical emergency.

“I was getting ready for a family event,” Monique recalled. “But I couldn’t breathe.”

She had been seeing doctors for heart-related concerns, but nothing had prepared her for what would come next. That night, she went to the hospital and received shocking news.

“They told me, ‘You need a new heart.'”

The weight of those words was almost impossible to grasp. In a matter of hours, Monique went from preparing for Christmas with her family to facing a life-threatening diagnosis.

“It didn’t feel real,” she said. “I knew I had heart problems, but not like this.”

She was quickly transferred to Piedmont Atlanta, where a team of doctors began preparing for what could be a long and uncertain wait.

But God had other plans.

Many patients wait months, or even years, for a heart transplant. But Monique’s story unfolded in a way that can only be described as extraordinary.

“Within a week and a half, they told me, ‘We have a heart for you.’”

She still pauses when she recounts it.

“That was God,” she said. “There’s no other explanation.”

Even the timing of the surgery reflected God’s provision. On a stormy night—when bad weather could have delayed critical transport—the heart arrived in time.

Everything fell into place.

The surgery was successful, but the journey didn’t end there.

Recovery brought its own set of challenges, medication complications, physical healing, and emotional exhaustion. There were moments of uncertainty and fear.
But those moments also became sacred.

“At 3:00 in the morning, when nobody was around, I would pray,” Monique shared. “I would ask God, ‘What’s going on?’ And He answered me every time.”

In those quiet, difficult hours, Monique experienced the nearness of God in a deeply personal way.

Her faith wasn’t just something she believed. It became something she lived and depended on daily.

“I just kept pushing and praying,” she said. “And He carried me through.”

Today, Monique is active, healthy, and full of life. You wouldn’t know her story just by looking at her, but she carries it with gratitude in everything she does.

“I have never been so thankful in my life,” she said. “God gave me a second chance.”

After her recovery, Monique and her husband found themselves navigating life on a fixed income. Though they had worked hard all their lives, retirement brought new financial realities.

“Social Security is not enough,” she said honestly. “Things get tight.”

That’s when she found the Real Life Center.

Over the past several months, Monique has not only received practical support through the food pantry, but she has also embraced the full experience of what the ministry offers.

“It’s been eye-opening,” she said.

One of the most meaningful parts of Monique’s journey at RLC has been participating in classes.

“These classes. They really touch your life,” she said. “They talk about real things people go through.”

What stood out most to her was how clearly biblical truth connects to everyday challenges.

“It’s always about God,” Monique explained. “But it’s also about how you live your life with Him in it. If you keep Him first, He helps you through everything.”

She appreciates that the teaching isn’t just spiritual. It’s practical.

“You don’t just sit back and say, ‘God, do everything,’” she said with a smile. “You trust Him, and then you take steps. You apply it to your life.”

That combination of truth and action has encouraged her deeply.

From the moment she arrived, Monique felt something different about the Real Life Center, something deeper than just services.

“The volunteers are wonderful,” she said. “They’re so kind.”

Each visit ends with an invitation that has become especially meaningful to her: prayer.

“They ask if you want prayer, and I always say yes,” she said. “It gives me strength. It gives me encouragement.”

Through these simple but powerful moments, Monique has experienced the love of Christ in tangible ways.

“I’m just so humbled and so thankful,” she added.

One day, after completing a class, Monique felt led to ask a simple question:
“Do you help with employment?”

That question sparked a conversation that would lead to a new opportunity.

Through a connection at the Real Life Center, Monique was introduced to a local service called Share the Load, which provides household support for busy families. Soon after, she was offered a part-time position as a house manager.

The role includes helping families with laundry, meal preparation, and organization, work that fits perfectly with Monique’s skills and experience.

“I love those kinds of things,” she said. “I really do.”

What felt like a small step of courage became a meaningful answer to prayer.

“It just rolled into place,” she said. “Like God was saying, ‘Here you go.’”

Monique’s story is one of physical healing, but also of spiritual renewal, provision, and purpose.

She has walked through a life-threatening diagnosis, experienced a miraculous transplant, and found renewed direction in a new season of life.

Through it all, one truth stands above the rest:  God has been faithful.

“Life is so precious,” Monique said. “Whatever time God has for you, you accept it. You put Him first, and it will be beautiful.”

Stories like Monique’s happen every day at the Real Life Center because of faithful partners like you.

Because you give, pray, and serve:

• Families receive food in times of need
• Individuals grow in their faith
• Doors to new opportunities open

And lives are changed both now and for eternity.

Thank you for being part of the story God is writing in our community.