By 3:55 on Wednesday afternoon, a handful of children have gathered at the playground of their east side apartment complex. By 4:15, it’s swarming. Some kids carrying backpacks of homework, some chasing little brothers and sisters. Ms. Hattie and her team have arrived ready to play, tutor and share the gospel.

UTA volunteers start a game of kickball in an empty field next door, while another volunteer reads through a math assignment with a young boy. Ms. Hattie greets the children that are still arriving and invites them to play or study.

One frustrated mom comes with her daughter, school folder in hand. They pass the folder to Ms. Hattie. The little girl shakes her head at the science assignment inside. Ms. Hattie leads them over to a park bench and works with them both to understand the plant life cycle.

The mom says it’s her first time coming to “after school.” They just recently moved in, but they already knew where to come for help.

By 5:00, the kickball game has run its course. The kids are tired, and homework is done. Everyone gathers on blue blankets to hear a Bible Story about Jesus death and resurrection. It takes a while to get through the lesson, but the kids listen attentively.

In the beginning, Ms. Hattie wasn’t sure how God would work out all the details so she could serve full-time at Mission Arlington®. She had a job, a house, two pets, and plenty of bills. She had been volunteering twice a week, but she felt like God wanted her to do more. When she went to visit with Tillie, she expressed her concerns about housing, pets, and everything. They prayed and gave the concerns to God.

In the end, Hattie gave her employer two weeks notice and told her neighbor that she would be putting her house on the market. Within the week, her neighbor told her to not put up that “for sale” sign because he wanted to buy the house. The profits from the sale were enough to pay off her loans.

By the time she began her first day at Mission Arlington®, God had provided a free, pet-friendly place to live. One by one, God had removed any potential worry and Ms. Hattie could focus on the things that really matter: teaching children and showing their families the love of Christ.