Story of the Week: The Way Home

Amy Silvas shares how God used her broken situation to help families across Colorado Springs.

Amy Silvas first decided to follow Jesus at five years old. She spent her high school and college years looking for ways to serve Him. As a military wife, she moved around the world with her family, teaching women’s Bible studies, mentoring young wives, working with youth and opening her home to small groups.

After moving to Colorado Springs nearly 20 years ago, Amy continued looking for ways to serve. But after a year-long deployment to Afghanistan changed her first husband, their marriage survived several difficult years before ultimately ending in divorce. The life she had known was turned upside down.

“I had everything a woman could need to survive all of that,” Amy said. “I had education, finances, a relationship with the Lord, a support network and a great counselor. And it still nearly broke me.”

Her church didn’t treat her differently, yet Amy carried a deep weight of shame. She wondered if that meant she was no longer qualified to serve God in the ways she once had. “Who would want to hear what I had to say about the Bible?” she wondered. “I’m a divorced woman now.”

As the years passed, God once again proved His faithfulness to Amy. She began to heal. She eventually married her husband, Adam, and found happiness in a new chapter of life. She also found community with other women who, for one reason or another, had to begin again. Still, she struggled to find her way back to the familiar avenues of ministry that had once been such a significant part of her life.

A New Way to Serve

When she learned about organizations in other cities that furnished homes for people in big life transitions, the idea grabbed her attention. Years of military life had taught Amy how to make a new house feel like home. Perhaps this was a way she could serve.

She called organizations around Colorado Springs to see if anyone was doing similar work. The response was consistent: No one knew of an organization doing it, but there was a real need.

Amy knew how difficult starting over could be, even with resources and people to lean on. What about those women who had none of those things?

She recalled thinking, I don’t know how to help them, but I can do this. At least I can let them know that this isn’t the end of their story and that they’re not alone.

With Adam alongside her, Amy bought an old Ford F-250 and began gathering donated and discarded furniture and household items, and Make It A Home was born.

The vision was simple: If a woman had nothing but her children and a place to live, Make It A Home would provide everything else needed to make that space feel like home. The goal was not only to meet practical needs, but also to create beautiful spaces where families could feel seen, valued and surrounded by things that brought them joy.

Amy’s friends caught the vision and joined in. Soon, they were spending Saturdays transforming homes on shoestring budgets.

Making an Impact

Children who were sleeping on dog beds received bedrooms of their own. Families who were eating on the floor received kitchen tables. And with each project, the volunteers encountered people in their community they might never otherwise have met.

The ministry grew to serve single moms and dads, refugees, seniors and more. Over time, Make It A Home was invited to partner on larger projects, furnishing spaces including the Bloom House, a sober living home for single mothers, and the Dale House, a place for young adults to get back on their feet. Through a partnership with Family Life Services, they connect with single mothers who choose life for their children. The team is now working to complete the Harbor House, a soon-to-be sober living home.

What began with an old truck and a handful of volunteers has become a ministry with a lasting impact. But Make It A Home is still powered by ordinary people who simply want to serve.

Make It A Home just completed its 100th project. That weekend, volunteers furnished and decorated apartments that will be home to families in need!

Yet the impact can’t be measured in furniture alone.

More Than Furniture

Amy remembers one young mother who grew up in the foster care system. After the team furnished her home, she looked at the volunteers and said, “I’ve never lived anywhere with curtains before.” Sometimes the small things can convey a sense of care, beauty and goodness that remind us of the God-breathed dignity of every human being.

The ministry has also created opportunities for people who once received help to become helpers themselves. Amy has watched former Make It A Home clients return years later to volunteer for other families who are starting over.

Her heart for the Colorado Springs community has also shaped where Amy worships. Amy has attended other Woodmen locations in the past, but she and Adam now attend the Downtown campus. Because many Make It A Home clients live nearby, attending Downtown felt like a natural fit.

A Softer Heart

Through it all, Amy has come to see how God has used her painful experiences to shape the way she loves others. “My life is messier now,” she shared. “The fallout from divorce will likely continue for the rest of my days. But God has used that in ways I never could have imagined.”

She’s grateful for the opportunity to love people she might once have overlooked. Her experiences haven’t erased the pain of the past, but they’ve deepened her perspective. “God has taken my shame and turned it into a softer heart and a more humble spirit,” Amy said. “That’s a pretty wonderful trade. And He isn’t finished with me yet.”

Return to Stories