Samuel’s Story
“Before coming to the mission, I was lost. After coming to the mission, I am found.”
Sam felt as if his whole life was trapped in a “cycle of death” with his childhood marked by tragedy after tragedy.
At age 5, Sam found himself sitting in a stalled vehicle with his mother and stepfather arguing on the side of the road. And just a moment later, he witnessed his mother’s graphic death in a pedestrian vs. car accident. At age 7, he began to experience PTSD symptoms and was given long-term anxiety medication, but found his trust completely broken when he was molested by his uncle.
“My grandparents adopted me, took me as their own, changed my name... my grandparents showed me love beyond belief, and took care of me, raised me, and gave me everything I needed.” However, death found its way to Sam’s door again when, at age 13, his grandfather died, and his grandmother died a few years afterward.
“It felt like I was in this vicious repeating cycle of constant death...” Sam recalls.
These losses in his life left him feeling isolated and reluctant to trust others. Although the emotional turmoil weighed heavily on him, he grew up and seemed to be another ordinary member of society with a steady job and marriage. However, as years turned into decades, alcoholism slowly poisoned his life.
“Alcoholism doesn't happen overnight,” Sam described, “It happens over a course of years... and before you know it, you're a full-blown alcoholic and you don't even look for excuses anymore. You just do it.”
Sam could no longer control his alcohol-centric lifestyle and he lost everything. His marriage of 27 years ended, he was in danger of losing his job, and he could no longer pay for his apartment.
Sam was also given a diagnosis of Diverticulitis – inflammation and irregular bulges in the large intestine. The diagnosis progressed to the point where he ruptured 4 different areas of his colon. He underwent several surgeries to mitigate infections and was given colostomy and ileostomy bags.
“When I got out of the hospital, it was kind of the turning point” Sam recalled, “because I knew I didn't want to be homeless. It wasn't going to do me any good to be out there... God put me in a direction to end up here.”
Sam came to Union Gospel Mission and quickly learned it was more than a homeless shelter. He was taken aback by the amount of support and resources the men’s mission had and could generously give. He joined the New Life Fellowship and opened his heart to God and the community of Christ-centered people. It was the start of changing his life for good.
“I don't have to do this by myself. I got God, he's always with me,” Sam learned, “this is a brotherhood... I'm not alone, I don't have to be alone, you know? I've reconnected with my holy Father. He's changed everything. I don't have to do it by myself anymore.”
In the midst of life’s trials and tribulations, Sam found God through the resources and strength from Union Gospel Mission and the New Life Fellowship to start anew.
“I've made some wonderful friendships… These people that are truly giving from the heart, they're not looking for thanks or gratitude… I have relationships now until the day I die that I wouldn't have had otherwise.”
