Mission Moments - Snapshots from the Soul
Every person who passes through the doors of City Union Mission has a unique story to tell - every man, every woman, and every child. Some stories are gripping, some are interesting, and some are heartwarming, while others are heartbreaking.
We have captured several stories that may change the way you view homelessness forever. Here is your chance to take a glimpse into the lives of a few of our precious clients, volunteers, and donors. We hope you will take a minute to engross yourself in these powerful testimonies. Please place yourself in their shoes, and join them in their past sorrows as well as their newfound joy.
Larry
"I didn’t want to waste God’s time."
Larry grew up in a family where both parents were alcoholics. At 19 years of age he decided to join the Army. Vietnam was going hot and heavy at the time, and he was gung ho to go. When he returned home from serving our country he was rejected by friends and family members. "Nobody in my family went, and none of my friends either. So I was pretty much shunned."
He had been into drugs and alcohol all along, but after coming back from Vietnam he was doing a whole lot more of both. He doesn’t talk much about the war, but after he came home he was basically alone. He liked it that way ... no accountability. "Often," he said, "I would just drop out. I’d have no contact with my family for years. By this time they were into rehab and AA, and would want to take me. I didn’t want to be bothered with that."
The years of addiction took its toll on him physically. That’s what finally got him in and out of rehab over the years. "But none of them ever took." Larry said, "They talked about a higher power. But you know, your higher power could be the doorknob. That just didn’t work for me."
Larry always believed there was a God. But he didn’t pray to Him. "I didn’t want to waste God’s time. I wasn’t worth it."
Psalm 17:8, Keep me as the apple of the eye; Hide me in the shadow of Thy wings.
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Larry lost his apartment, plus his physical condition deteriorated. "I was dying. I tried to get into a VA rehab program but there was a three-month wait. I had to choose between a couple of places to stay until I could get in. I just picked City Union Mission. I intended to move on."
"I’ve been at City Union Mission since September in the Recon program." Recon stands for reconciliation with God and family. He decided to stay here because it was working better for him than other programs he had tried. "The difference is that here I found a relationship with Jesus Christ ... not just some illusive 'higher power'. Here I’ve learned so many things. I know I can make it now because of Jesus."
Larry plans to return to his family, join a small church, and participate in an AA group. "I want the accountability now. My dad passed on a few years ago. I need to have what time is left with my mother."
Isaiah 41:9-10, You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts, and said to you, 'You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. 'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.'
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Have you felt alone like Larry? Maybe you've felt like you didn't matter to God? Click here to find out why God loves you and how you can find a relationship with Jesus Christ like Larry.