My name is Angela Irvin, and I am the founder of Soul Journers Outreach Ministries, Inc. I am motivated by serving others and helping those in need. We are all called to serve in various capacities and one of the best gifts God has given us is to help our fellow man. Being able to give someone a hand up and seeing them flourish is so amazing. I get excited when we are out serving the community and knowing that we have made an impact and that God is pleased. It motivates me knowing that we are not doing this for vain glory but for God's glory. Lastly, what motivates me is the opportunity to be able to obtain more resources to allow us to help more people by giving them a hand up of love. I try to live by the scripture Isaiah 6:8, “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; Send me”. This one scripture keeps me motivated to serve my fellow man.
The story behind our nonprofit organization, Soul Journers Outreach Ministries, Inc., is there was a time when I needed help, and someone extended a hand to me. In my life’s journey, I found myself in a place I thought I would never be. No one could ever tell me my marriage would fail, I would lose my job and become a single mother all within, what seemed as, a blink of an eye. I stood alone trying to make sense out of this “new” life and journey ahead of me. I was not a person to ask for help or even let someone know I needed help. My closest friends and family members did not know the battle I was facing. All of this happened around the Christmas holiday and I had no idea how I was going to get through the season. I met someone who told me about a program that lends a helping hand during the holiday season, but they did not even realize I was actually the one in need. I went through the program called Christmas Village in Charlotte, NC. This program offered toys and household items at a deeply discounted price to people in need. This opportunity afforded me to get through the holidays with only spending $100. There were toys under the tree, food on the table and clothes on our back. When I saw what this program had done for many people in the community, I decided to volunteer my time to this organization. For the next 5 years, I volunteered with this organization helping other families in need. During those difficult years of my life, though I didn't have much, it made it easier for me to help others instead of focusing on my own problems. I also, along with my church family, sponsored a homeless family during this time. The single mother of 3 young children desperately needed our assistance. We secured them a place to live and we paid their rent for an entire year. Prior to finding them a place to live, I allowed the family to move in with me for 6 months. Though I was struggling and on the verge of facing homelessness myself, God carried us through, and I could rest because I knew that one less family was living on the streets. After this experience I knew I could not house everyone, but I could show the homeless that somebody sees them and that they are not invisible. This led to the birth of the "Backpacks of Love” ministry. In the backpack we place toiletry items, snacks, and other items to keep the homeless warm. I thank God for allowing someone to see me and giving me a hand up in my time of need, and that is why I now extend my hand to give someone else a hand up.
