From Pat, with Heidi

Pat started attending Mountainside in 2010, though she was a part of our community much earlier than that. As early as 2004 and over the years during her time living on the streets of Glendora and Azusa, Pat befriended many APU students including Misty, Justin, Scott, Jordan, Eric and Becca, among others, all of whom would later become faithful Mountainside members. For over fifteen years Pat lived with her now ex-husband Daniel in a big white van around the Azusa/Glendora area. The Ralph’s parking lot in Glendora and the Stater Brothers in Azusa were ‘home’ to her. During those years she faced a lot of difficulties, including being mistreated by others, persevering through an unpredictable, often fearful, yet very loyal relationship with Daniel, and all else that is involved with living homeless.

While Pat and Daniel were living in the van, Eric and Becca would come over and visit with them. This was the start of a friendship. Pat began to visit Mountainside with Eric. In April 2010, Eric helped Pat find a room to rent in Pomona and he called on Mountainside to help her come up with some furniture. When that living situation did not work out, and after two more room rentals in Monrovia also were not good fits, Eric worked hard to get her a one bedroom apartment on Royal Oaks here in Monrovia beginning in September 2011. Through our Compassionate Action funds, Mountainside began to contribute to her rent in order to keep her from going back to the streets.

Over the last several years Pat has been a faithful member of Mountainside. Everyone knows where her preferred seat is on Sunday mornings and when it is empty her presence is missed. She has helped with set-up on occasion and she has volunteered at Habitat for Humanity’s Re-store in Azusa.

If you’ve spent any time with Pat, you know that she has a witty sense of humor. She is very friendly to strangers, and quite often as she exits through the waiting room after her doctor’s appointments, she wishes the full waiting room “a very nice day.” She is always concerned for the safety of others. Almost every day I get a text from Pat telling me to be careful when I drive to work and back home and her warning is always followed by, “Don’t work too hard.”