Nobody goes to a homeless shelter to find a life partner. But for LeRoy and Shameca, that’s exactly how things turned out — even though they didn’t start that way.

Shameca had a difficult childhood. “It left me with a lot of scars on my heart,” she remembers. To cope, she turned to alcohol. Tough situations left her homeless on several occasions, and she ended up coming to MRM three different times for help.

The first two times, Shameca says she wasn’t ready to do the hard work of making changes. But the third time, she was ready. “I surrendered my life to God, and opened myself up for Him to do what He had to do in my heart. I stayed focused on those things.”

LeRoy, meanwhile, had come to Milwaukee from Indianapolis in 2020 to rekindle a relationship with his father, who had been mostly absent during LeRoy’s childhood. His dad initially welcomed his son into his home, but things soured after a while. Heartbroken, LeRoy turned to drugs and alcohol to numb his pain — and when his dad moved away, LeRoy had nowhere to go. Facing homelessness and addiction, he came to MRM and joined our recovery program.

Once both LeRoy and Shameca turned their lives around — independently, before their relationship began — they joined our staff. And that’s when the sparks began to kindle.

LeRoy was a cook in the kitchen, and Shameca was a preschool teacher. He served her meals, smiling, and she smiled back. They made small talk. And then their conversations went deeper — about life things, spiritual things, eternal things.

LeRoy ended up attending Shameca’s church, and they rode to Bible study together. “I saw what a godly woman she was,” he says, “and I started falling in love with her.”

Shameca feels the same: “When I saw that he had a heart for God, that he was thirsty for the Lord, I just knew. Like, ‘Lord, yes, he’s the one.’”

LeRoy and Shameca were married last year — and just celebrated their six-month anniversary on Valentine’s Day. They still can’t believe how God brought them together, but they know He has been with them every step of the way — in good times and in bad.

Today, LeRoy and Shameca are excited about the future. They’re saving up to buy a home, and look forward to growing their family.

Both are thankful to MRM for helping them restore their lives and find each other — which they know wouldn’t be possible without your support.

“I’m grateful there are people out there who care,” says Shameca. “Without donors, there wouldn’t be me and LeRoy!”

“To know that donors are supporting MRM is incredible,” adds LeRoy. “Sometimes I think, How is all this possible? Then I remind myself that through Christ, anything is possible.”

Thank you for helping our struggling neighbors find new life and a fresh start!