We can all use a little encouragement now and then… and we’re blessed to have family, friends or church leaders to walk a difficult road with us. However, our homeless neighbors here in the Salem-Keizer area have virtually no one to lift them up, to offer helpful advice or even to pray with them.
That’s why, when people come to Union Gospel Mission of Salem, the fellowship means as much to them as a hot meal or a safe place to sleep. David had used drugs since grade school and spent most of his adult life in and out of jail. Finally, homeless and alone, David recalls, “All I knew was fear.” After two lonely years living on the streets of Salem, David knew that he needed to make some major changes in his life, but he couldn’t do it on his own…not without God, and not without encouragement from people reaching out in His name.
A phone call to UGM literally saved David’s life. “I had already started taking a handful of my medications to overdose,” he says. Knowing he had somewhere to go, something to look forward to, David put the pills aside and put his trust in God.
Your gifts provides David and so many other hurting men and women with the physical, emotional and spiritual support they need to get their lives back on track.
“Having a way to get off drugs and alcohol, you remember how to live and how to think,” David says of our New Life Fellowship program. “I still have worries, but I can cope with them.”
Most important, David no longer has to cope with anything on his own. “There are people here who are willing to pray for me. I’ll tell them the problem and they’ll say a prayer. That helps me believe that the situation is going to get better.”
“Thank you,” David says gratefully. “This program is here because of you. It’s through your support that guys are able to come here and change their lives.”
