It was the early 1980s, and America was still recovering from the effects of the Vietnam War. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev were busy ending the Cold War after 40 years. The American hockey team defeated the mighty Soviet team in the game dubbed the “Miracle on Ice” during the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York. We watched in total disbelief as Pope John Paul II, the most peaceful man on the planet, was shot four times in an assassination attempt and survived!

It is where the story of Ella begins. Ella was a young lady just trying to find her way in this mixed-up world of Saginaw, Michigan, with very little help. She supported herself through the oldest profession known to man: prostitution. She found herself doing things she did not want to do, but her pimp would make her do. One thing led to another, and Ella found herself pregnant, the one thing no pimp wanted. It was bad for business! Eventually, in 1983, Ella entered the Saginaw Rescue Mission with her three-year-old daughter, Deanna. It was there that Ella first met her guardian angels, Mr. and Mrs. Ken Streeter.

Ken and Karen Streeter have been involved in the Saginaw Rescue Mission since the early 1970s when Ken decided to join the Board of Directors after hearing through his church that they needed help. At the time, the Saginaw Rescue Mission was one of about sixty missions in the state of Michigan and one of the largest with two locations, one in Saginaw and the other in Bay City. For the past forty years, the Streeters have directly and indirectly impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The established Rescue Ministries of Mid-Michigan (R3M) include various teen and adult discipleship and leadership programs. 

The Streeters cared for all those hungry and thirsty for righteousness. However, Ella and Deanna sought refuge in not only the mission but also in a special place in the Streeter’s heart.

There were specific rules at the mission to avoid chaos from breaking out. One of the women’s shelter rules was that no mother could leave her child with another resident. This was a rule to protect the other women from being threatened if they did not help, but more importantly, it helped the mothers learn how to care for their children, building critical parenting skills. 

For a while, Ella conformed to the Mission rules and was thriving. However, the lure of the streets was too great for her to ignore. When Karen Streeter, who was in charge of the women’s shelter, discovered that Ella broke the rules, she was disappointed and had to hold Ella accountable. As she approached Ella with the rules’ violations, Ella took it in good stride and understood. Ella responded by saying, “she would rather be in Bay City anyway.” Once arriving in Bay City, the police were waiting for Ella because there was a warrant for her arrest. Subsequently, Ella was arrested and taken to jail.

While housed in the Bay City jail, Ella had shelter, but Deanna did not. The courts awarded temporary custody to Ella’s mother during the incarceration. For a while, everything was good. People thought that it was great that Ella’s mom was so close and was willing to take care of Deanna. However, it came out that Ella’s mom was not a sound guardian for Deanna’s needs. However, what choice did Ella have because of the poor decisions she made? Her mom was the lesser of “the evils” in Ella’s life. At least she knew Deanna had a warm bed and meals.

Ella’s sentence was completed, and she was reunited with Deanna. Upon their return to the mission, Karen approached Ella once again and asked what would be the next phase of her life. After all the despair and hopelessness, and through the love of the Streeters, Ella professed her faith in Jesus Christ and accepted Him into her life. Therefore, Karen enthusiastically began looking for a woman’s discipleship program within the network of missions throughout the United States. They identified an excellent program in Akron, Ohio, and Ella agreed to attend it and begin her new life. The Streeters packed her up and personally drove this young mother and daughter team to Akron and got her established. 

However, after just a few weeks, Ella returned to Saginaw and her old life. Over the next several years, Ella struggled with an internal battle, going back and forth between her old life in Saginaw and the promise of a new one in Akron. Finally, the call of a more stable and morally sound life won out. Ella graduated from the discipleship program and began to take control of her life. She wanted to give her daughter Deanna something she had never had – a chance!

With her newfound drive, Ella enrolled in school to become a nurse and eventually became a registered nurse. Ken believes the discipleship program allowed her to see how genuinely precious her life, her daughter’s life, and those around her were in the eyes of the Lord. She relished the thought of perhaps assisting someone out of a situation like hers giving back to the Lord for giving her so much. And the blessings did not stop there. 

After she earned her job, she could support herself and her daughter financially. For the first time, Ella was able to provide for her daughter. Eventually, she met a decent man who loved her and Deanna, which enhanced her faith and drove home the point of how merciful and loving God is. And Deanna, whose life and background led her to a life of uncertainty and prostitution, also became a registered nurse.

Because the Streeters wholeheartedly believe in what they are doing so, the awesome Lord has blessed them with a second generation of service to the people who deserve mercy, love, and compassion through their son Dan Streeter, the current director of the Saginaw Rescue Mission. Ken humbly stepped aside, allowing Dan to serve and take the mission to even greater heights, helping to provide hope for the hopeless.