“God Heard Me”: Fantashia’s Story of Faith and New Beginnings at Toby’s Place
- Oliver Gospel Staff Member
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
When Fantashia first arrived at Toby’s Place, she carried the weight of grief, uncertainty, and a mother’s deep determination to protect her children. What she found was more than shelter. She found faith, a sense of community, and a renewed purpose.
A Difficult Beginning
Originally from Sumter County, Fantashia describes her hometown as a place where “it’s really survival of the fittest.” Resources were limited, and violence was something she constantly tried to shield her children from.
“Moving to Columbia was good for us,” she says. “There’s more for kids to do, more to keep their minds growing. In Sumter, we don’t even have shelters for women. Toby’s Place is a miracle to me.”
Losing Her Mother and Finding Hope
Before coming to Toby’s Place, Fantashia was the full-time caregiver for her mother, who battled pulmonary lung disease for twelve years. When her mother passed away, Fantashia lost not only a parent but also her home.
“I stayed in a motel room for seven days,” she recalls. “I fasted and prayed every single one of those days. I said, ‘God, my money is running low, I have these two kids to take care of.’ On the seventh day, Toby’s Place called and said, ‘Can you be here Tuesday at 4 o’clock?’”
That phone call, she says, changed everything.
“That’s when my journey with God really began. I knew of Him, but I didn’t have a relationship. But He heard me, even when I couldn’t pray and just cried. When I got to Toby’s Place, I told God, ‘I’m going to devote my life to You.’ Because I don’t know where I’d be if He hadn’t answered that prayer.”
A New Start and Growing Faith
This wasn’t Fantashia’s first time at Toby’s Place. She had stayed before, but this time felt different.
“This time, I got to see how many resources are available and how much people here really care,” she says. “That’s not something I’m used to.”
Through biblical counseling and prayer, she began to find healing. “Our pastor said sometimes when we ask God to heal someone, we expect physical healing, but maybe the healing comes spiritually. That stuck with me.”
Now, Fantashia and her children pray together every morning and every night. “They even talk about what they learn at church,” she says. “That’s when I realized our relationship with God was changing.”
Looking Ahead with Hope
Today, Fantashia is focused on building a stable future. She’s enrolled in job training and hopes to become a Certified Nursing Assistant. “I’ve always loved taking care of people and encouraging people,” she says. “I’d love to go into healthcare and maybe share my testimony as I do.”
Her dream is to give her children stability and to one day help other young women facing similar challenges. “I’ve been there. It’s hard. But it gets better,” she says. “With God, you can do anything. His love is real, and I’m living proof that He shows up.”
Double Your Impact for Women Like Fantashia
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