Linda had endured 28 years of homelessness while battling addiction and chronic illness. In all that time, she had not seen her children, mother, or sisters, leaving her family deeply worried that they might never be reunited with her again. But in January 2023, everything began to change—plans were in motion for what would become a miraculous reunion between Linda and her loved ones.
She had been living beneath the 14th Street bridge in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood when she met Gabby, a woman who had encountered Linda several times. On one particularly cold Tuesday in January, during a heartfelt conversation, Linda opened up about a dream she had—one where she longed to see her mother and children again.
Gabby was no stranger to such stories. She worked with Miracle Messages, a nonprofit organization that helps people experiencing homelessness rebuild connections with loved ones and regain financial stability. Gabby explained how the organization’s reunification process worked. Linda was hesitant and uncertain about how her family might respond, but in the end, she left a message for Gabby to pass along to her children—just to let them know how much she loved and missed them.
In less than a week, one of Miracle Messages’ dedicated volunteer “digital detectives” successfully located Linda’s mother, Darlene. With that, the pieces began to fall into place for an extraordinary reunion. Darlene quickly informed the rest of the family that Linda had been found. “The only word I have for it is a miracle,” Darlene told Gabby. “I never stopped hoping that we’d find her.”
Linda’s children, Evelynn and Marcos—now both in their 30s—had not heard anything from their mother in two years. They immediately booked a flight to Florida and met with Gabby. After some effort, they finally found Linda, and she agreed to go home with them. “I believe God has a time for everything, and this was hers,” said one of Linda’s daughters.
Once back in Wisconsin, Linda entered a rehabilitation program. Her family expressed their immense gratitude for both Gabby and Miracle Messages. A few months later, Gabby was invited to a family gathering in celebration of the reunion.
“We waited 28 years,” said Linda’s sister Angie. “Every single year, every single day, every hour, I wondered where she was—terrified of getting a call that something had happened to her, and nobody would know who her family was.”
Linda also shared a special memory of Gabby: “She sat with me that night, on the cold ground. She asked for my contact information. I’ll never forget that. Gabby, I love you. You’ll always be a part of this family.”
A touching reminder of the bond between them came in the words of Ruth 1:16:
“But Ruth replied, ‘Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.’”