A LIFE-SAVING STORY OF TRANSFORMATION
Happily employed and heavily involved in his church, Ryan was content with the path he was on in life...but tragedy struck when Ryan suffered the unexpected loss of his son. Losing touch with his faith, Ryan turned to a lifestyle that would only fill him with feelings of shame and guilt.
“I lost my son and instead of running to God, I ran from God. I turned to the streets and away from the people in my life. I stopped showing my face at church because I felt so ashamed and low for the decisions I was making.”
Battling addiction, having left his job, and still grieving an unimaginable loss, Ryan no longer had the will to live.
“I didn’t want to live anymore. I wasn’t even living — I was just existing...I had lost all hope. My only hope was Christ, so I came to City Mission.”
Your partnership provided Ryan with food, clothing, warm lodging, and the opportunity to discover healing and forgiveness. Through attending classes and building strong relationships with City Mission staff, Ryan began to feel alive again.
“My time here gave me my life. It strengthened my faith. No matter what happens in my life now, I know I won’t return to that lifestyle.”
During his time here, Ryan also received job training and was able to re-enter the workforce. Beginning with an internship in the kitchen of our Dining Center, Ryan now works for a local restaurant where he is helping to serve the community that helped him.
“Working at the restaurant, I can be an example of what City Mission can do for a person.”
The people you help become people who help others. In the future, Ryan expresses that his goal is to work somewhere like City Mission. He wants to share the power of God’s love. Using the strength and perseverance that you helped him to discover, he wants to help others. The impact you make at City Mission is not only life-changing, but can also be life-saving for people like Ryan.
“I would be dead if I hadn’t come here. Thank you, and God bless you.”
Thank you for investing in Ryan and giving him, along with so many others, a chance to heal and rebuild his life!
*While this is a real story of someone you have helped, the name and photo were changed to respect the privacy of our residents.*