Brittany and Nathan got pregnant when they were 19 years old. Nathan ended going to serve in the Marine Corps for 2 tours that totaled 6 years, so Brittany stayed in Sandy, OR and raised their son Braxton. Within the next 6 years, Brittany got married to another man and eventually got divorced. Also during this time, Nathan had a daughter, Addison, from a different relationship. When Nathan got back from the Marine Corps, they began to rekindle their relationship and blend their families. They decided to get married in 2014, still living in Sandy. At this point, they felt like everything was going perfect. They were newlyweds, had a family together, were a part of a church that they loved, and they eventually had another daughter, Bristol. “Life seemed like there were no hiccups.”

During this time, Nathan and Brittany both a long commutes to work. After a while of doing this, they decided it was too taxing and moved to Salem to shorten their commutes. Not long after they moved, they found out they were pregnant, not with one baby, but two! Already having a one year old along with the two older children, they were both in shock after hearing this news. “And from that point on, it was literally just a blur.” The real hardships began after the twins were born and there were now 7 people in their 1,100 square foot house in Salem. They decided after a short while that it was time for them to move. They put in an offer on a house in Stayton, but it soon fell through because the seller lost his job. They put an offer on another house and everything was going smoothly. They were about 2 weeks from closing when the appraiser underbid the house $40,000 and wouldn’t move. The sellers had another offer and ended their contract. “I just cried. I didn’t know where my family was going to go.” At this point Brittany felt completely hopeless and like nothing was going the way she had planned.”I just had this idea on how I wanted to raise my family and everything obstacle presented itself.”

But Nathan soon found an ad for a house on Victor Point Road in Silverton. “When Nathan and I walked in it, it just felt like peace. It felt like it was the breath of fresh air that we needed.” They moved into this house and Brittany felt like life was back on track. They got Braxton set up in the Silverton football community where they met Shantelle, a member of SCF. Shantelle told her about Celebrate Recovery, and Brittany felt like that was something she needed in her life so she started coming. She met several strong women who she was excited to learn from. Their family then came to a Sunday service at SCF where they were greeted by our SCF Kids volunteers. “All I remember is it just felt so good. It really felt like home.” The Parkers have now found a church home with people who love and support them through everything. “The people who represent Silver Creek Fellowship is what gave me hope ultimately and it still does.”