The Miracle in The Mirror

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to help men like Ronald rebuild their lives.

Almost two years ago, Ronald stood on a Skid Row street corner. After a lifelong battle with drugs and alcohol, he felt lost and defeated. Whenever he looked in a mirror, an emaciated man stared back with vacant eyes, a depressed heart, and a suicidal spirit.

He had just tried to get into Union Rescue Mission, but there was no room. As he stood on the corner, he thought, I’ll never get my life together. No one will ever miss me. As a bus approached, Ronald stepped in front, hoping it would end right there. It didn’t. The light turned red. The bus stopped.

When he stepped back onto the corner, a stranger approached. “Are you Ronald?” he asked. “I’m from Union Rescue Mission. We have a place for you.”

That was the day everything started to change. “The Spirit of God took hold of me,” he says. “He started leading to me to all these people who could help me.”

They say it takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to help men like Ronald rebuild their lives.

“It began with my sister Paula,” he recalls. “Before I came to the Mission, she said she didn’t recognize me anymore. I wasn’t the brother she grew up with and she didn’t want me around. That hurt, but it got my attention.”

After that, he talked to a friend at church. It was Shelia Young — an employee at Union Rescue Mission — who recommended he go there to get help. Then it was his chaplain at the Mission, Jonathan Russell, who became his closest confidant, counselor, and friend who helped him grieve the past, let go of his shame, and trust God. Then there was Bryan, who became his mentor and friend, offering Ronald love, encouragement, and the reminder he’s not alone. There was also Hector and Ryan, fellow guests at URM, who helped Ronald see himself how God sees him. “Every one of these people nurtured me every step of the way,” he says.

A month ago, Ronald found himself praying for a miracle in his life. As he stood washing his hands, he looked into a mirror and recalled the man standing on the street corner. He suddenly realized: “I am the miracle. God used all these people — my sister, Shelia, Chaplain Jonnie, Bryan — to mold me into the man I am today. And now I look in the mirror every day and say, ‘Thank you, Jesus.’”

Your Compassion Means Transformed Lives for Hurting People

It Takes A Village

Shelia, Chaplain Jonnie, Bryan . . . they were just a few of the many people God used to transform Ronald’s life. They each had a crucial role to play.

Shelia Young: The Friend

I knew Ronald was struggling, and I knew he needed help. So I talked to him several times about the help he could get at Union Rescue Mission. All I did was point him in the right direction. Now I see how God used me as an agent of change in his life. Today, he’s walking with the Lord and I see a joy in him I never saw before.

Jonathan Russell: The Chaplain

When Ronald first came here, he was emotionally and spiritually broken. As his chaplain, my role was to be a close friend, confidant, advocate, and spiritual mentor. Today, he’s one of the most inspiring men I know. I’m humbled to be able to play this role in the lives of men like Ronald.

Bryan Cramm: The Mentor

As Ronald’s mentor, I just try to be available to him when he needs it. We talk about challenges he’s facing or whatever God has placed on my heart. It’s amazing how God has used my small investment. But it’s also been a two-way street. We’ve lived totally different lives. But we’ve both found we have everything in common in Christ.

You: The Donor

In many ways, as a donor, you have the most important role of all. Apart from your support, there is no Union Rescue Mission. Apart from you, Shelia’s, Jonathan’s and Bryan’s roles would not be possible. Every gift you send makes new life possible for women and men like Ronald.

Your support provides Ronald and our other guests in Union Rescue Mission’s life-transformation program with . . .

• Meals
• Shelter
• Restrooms, hot showers, and personal hygiene supplies
• Free dental and health care, mental-health services, and legal-aid counseling
• Daily chapel services, Bible studies, and discipleship programs
• Recovery/Bible Classes
• Biblical 12-Steps
• Work Therapy
• Addiction Education
• Anger Management
• Vocational Training
• Physical Fitness
• Marriage & Family Enrichment

• Financial Planning
• Community Church Involvement
• Grief & Loss Classes
• Stewardship & Financial Planning
• Microsoft (MOS) certification for Office software programs, including MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Access
• Basic math and English skills instruction
• Computer/typing assistance
• Graphic Arts/Design Classes
• Business marketing & retail instruction
• English as a Second Language (ESL) Classes
• Literacy tutoring
• GED preparation

New Life Is Possible - With Your Help

In the days before Christ rose again, His disciples felt pretty hopeless — just like the thousands of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles today. But Jesus did rise again — and there is hope for new life and a new start.

Often, that first spark of hope comes with a hot meal at Union Rescue Mission. Then, with renewed hope, many people will connect with the long-term services they need to rebuild their lives. Your gifts literally give hurting men, women, and children the hope and the tangible help they need to transform their lives.

So, please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!

GIVE NOW

Notes from Andy

No one succeeds at anything in life all on their own. I certainly would not have. We depend on our friends, family, and the entire community we live in for support and a helping hand.

The hurting men and women at Union Rescue Mission know this truth better than anyone. When they couldn’t make life work anymore, when it all got too overwhelming, they came to Union Rescue Mission. And it’s here they found a new community, a new family — a family of friends, chaplains, mentors, volunteers, coaches, teachers, and a lot of unsung heroes who are the hands and feet of our resurrected Christ on behalf of people who need love, healing, and a new, transformed life.

But the most critical part of this family is YOU. Without your support, there are no friends, chaplains, mentors, and other unsung heroes inside these walls. Without you, there is no Union Rescue Mission. There is no life transformation.

This month, we celebrate Easter. But the resurrection of Jesus isn’t a one-time thing. It happens every day here, through your gifts. Thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus.

Blessings,

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