To meet Jamie today, soft-spoken, articulate and intense, but often surprisingly cheerful, you would be
shocked to learn of her history. You might also be very surprised to learn she’s a guest of a shelter for
women and children experiencing homelessness.
“I came to Mustard Seed Shelter on December 4 of 2021. I had been hospitalized for COVID and when
I was ready to be discharged, they couldn’t release me unless I had a place to go. I was homeless at
that point. They contacted Amy (the executive director), and she said she had one room available. It
was three o’clock in the afternoon. Amy told the discharge nurse that if I was there before four o’clock, I
could have the room.”
Jamie recalls hospital staff put her in the back of one of the SUVs the hospital security guys drive and
gave the driver a note that said to drop her off at 1325 Cherry Street. “I’ve been here ever since,” she
says.
“The way I became homeless is gonna sound kind of farfetched, but it is the absolute truth,” Jamie
says. “I was living in an apartment complex in Bay City for people 62 and older. When COVID started, I
couldn’t wear a mask because of my asthma. My doctor wrote me a letter, and I took it to the manager
of the apartment complex. At that point, everyone had to wear masks. All the other people were really
terrified about COVID and everything.”
She tells the story of a woman who was probably in her 80s walking up to her one day, just screaming
in her face that she was endangering all of their lives. That woman and other residents got together
with the manager and took Jamie to court because of a clause in the lease that said if you do anything
to endanger the lives of any other residents, it’s cause for eviction.
“They evicted me because they felt my not wearing a mask was endangering their lives,” Jamie adds.
“A couple of months later, I got COVID.”
After she was evicted, Jamie was able to rent a room from a woman in what she describes as a
“ramshackle house” in Saginaw. “I was just grateful to be out of the elements,” she recalls. But one day
they both went to the landlady’s mother’s house to do their laundry. The mother was very sick and
Jamie says she did wonder at the time if the woman had COVID. “Sure enough, she went to the doctor
and was diagnosed with COVID and then her daughter and I both got it. I had to be hospitalized.”
Jamie had only been in that house for about a month before spending a couple of weeks in the hospital.
But her former landlady would not let her return to the house. This was how Jamie found herself
homeless, leading to her coming to Mustard Seed. Even before this incident, Jamie’s life had been filled
with repeated instances of extreme hardship and trauma. Made to leave home when just a teenager,
she found herself on the streets of Saginaw where she was forced into prostitution for about five years,
during which time she experienced unimaginable violence and was jailed numerous times. While she
later earned her GED and an associate’s degree, for most of her life her jail record made it difficult to
find employment and safe, affordable housing while raising two beautiful, biracial sons.
Jamie has told her story many times over the years. In the late 1990s she was a founding member of a
local church and shared her story as part of their outreach efforts, including as a leader in the church’s
jail ministry. As part of taking control of the narrative of her life, Jamie began writing a book she has
titled Jamie Jubilee. Soon to celebrate her 71st birthday, Jamie has been writing and rewriting the book
for over 20 years. She is now working with an editor and exploring publishing options.
She says that God put the book’s title into her heart and mind before she even started writing it.
From her 107-page draft:
In the book of Leviticus, God calls for a year of Jubilee every 50 years. In that year, everything,
whether land or houses, had to be restored to the original owner. Humans were to be given their
freedom. God has done marvelous and wonderful things in my life, and the greatest of them is
yet to come. This book is the word of my testimony. Someday, God will give me a new name.
Until then, I am and will ever be … His Jamie Jubilee.
Jamie’s Clothing Boutique
When helping set up and manage outreach ministries at a local church for five years, Jamie gained
extensive experience that helped prepare her for helping with our “clothing boutique” at Mustard Seed.
“I’ve always had a gift for organization – it just comes to me naturally,” she says. “I was able to use that
after I’d been here about six months. At the time, Patti (one of the regular volunteers) was in charge but
she said she was overwhelmed and felt like she was getting nowhere. So I offered to come down and help sometimes. After a few months, Patti resigned from the boutique and I took over. I work down
there a few days a week. Sometimes by myself but other staff, volunteers and guests often help.
“People donate a lot of clothing, bedding, toys, personal needs, all kinds of stuff. We have an intake
area where we sort through the donations. Personal needs and things like that that go to Stacey. My
focus is the clothing, shoes, accessories and that sort of thing.
“Most new guests come in with at least some clothes and might not come down to the boutique for a
week or two. Some only have the clothes on their backs and we make sure they have all of the basics
right away. They get six pairs of underwear and six pairs of socks and they get to pick out the clothes
they need. Sometimes it can get very chaotic. Some of the women have lived hand to mouth for so long
and when they walk in the room, it’s like: ‘It’s my birthday! It’s Christmas!’ Usually just the moms come
down and shop for their kids. That works out best for everyone.
“Right now, we are not taking any winter clothes or coats because we have bins and bins of like-new
winter things that we can pull out in September and October. We have a lot of brand-new 1X-5X black
clothes that were donated by a local store. When we don’t have space, we usually refer people to other
nonprofits like Emmaus House or Heart of Saginaw. Right now, I’m in desperate need of children’s
summer clothes like shorts and tops for boys and girls, sizes 4-14. We also need bras in larger
cup sizes but it helps to call first to find out what sizes we need at any given time. We always need
volunteers to help both with sorting and organizing and with helping guests when they ‘shop’ at the
boutique.
From Mustard Seed to …
Jamie’s story includes elements that are common to many of our guests – poverty, trauma, mental
illness, substance abuse, repeated crisis – but it is also filled with moments of joy, humor and great
love. And it is also a testament to Jamie’s great faith.
“My words for Jamie are resiliency and patience,” says Amy Bartels Roe, executive director. “Jamie
came to Mustard Seed with a spirit of resilience, which has carried her throughout her life – and will be
leaving Mustard Seed with a sense of peace that’s easy to spot. When she came to us, the anxiety that
had been part of her life was very acute. From the experience of living in community and witnessing,
feeling and living love, I believe the qualities that have helped Jamie to overcome so many struggles
have manifested as her greatest strengths.”
Jamie admits that her first several months at Mustard Seed were “torture,” having to interact with
people all of the time. “But God knew what I needed. He pulled me out of my shell. I believe God acts in
people’s lives like that. My experience here has been really great. I especially enjoy working with Sister
Leona in the kitchen. I’m so much older than most of the women here; I see things differently. I’m from
a different generation. I feel more connected with Sister Leona and with some of the older volunteers
and staff members.”
Jamie has been actively preparing for life after Mustard Seed. She has been building sweat equity and
taking classes with Saginaw-Shiawassee Habitat for Humanity and hopes to be able to buy a Habitat home. She has many beautiful hopes and dreams … among them, she wants her book (or books) to be
successful, financially and spiritually. “Financially so I can help others who need their physical needs
met and spiritually, leading people to Christ,” she says.
“I dream of having my own home, out in the country on about 20 acres. With a private lake, a couple of
horses and a fire pit. A place to have friends and family gather together for fun and holidays. I want to
travel. Yes, I would like to see Paris but, Jerusalem first! To walk where Jesus walked. To pray at the
Wailing Wall. To swim in the Dead Sea. To feel and see all there is in the Holy land of Israel. I want to
be able to leave my sons a good inheritance to make their lives easier and hopefully more meaningful.
That they know that their mother loves them fully and unconditionally. That next to God, they are the joy
of my life.”