Jordan’s childhood was so traumatic, he remembers the high school counselor who expressed shock that he hadn’t tried to kill himself yet.
Drugs and abuse followed Jordan his entire life — his parents were drug addicts and Jordan himself was born addicted to meth. Then, throughout his childhood, an abusive boyfriend of his mother beat him severely for such crimes as failing to make his bed perfectly, getting up at night to go to the bathroom, or waking up before 10:00 a.m. on weekends.
They also completely isolated him in his room. “I was kept entirely alone,” the 24-year-old recalls. “I wasn’t allowed to have friends or watch TV or play video games.”
The isolation and abuse were so crushing, Jordan developed a dissociative identity disorder — multiple personality disorder. By the time he graduated from high school, Jordan was ready to explore a world of unrestrained desires, unlimited sex, and crystal meth. “I let myself go crazy. I became selfish and cruel,” he says. “All I cared about was getting high and having sex.”
His life quickly unraveled. Within two years, Jordan found himself homeless in Long Beach’s Bixby Park. “I had no family. No real friends. And I worried constantly that someone was going to kill me,” he recalls.
In July 2013, a chaplain invited Jordan to come and get help at Union Rescue Mission.
“I decided I wanted to live, so I accepted,” he says. “When I first came here, I was a piece of work,” Jordan recalls. “I’d been on the streets for three years, with no structure. I had real trouble with authority. I didn’t want to listen to anyone.”
But slowly, as his trust grew, so did progress in other areas — including therapy. Working with a counselor, Jordan began to heal past wounds and reintegrate his diverse, multiple personalities. But spiritually is where he really changed. In fact, his spiritual growth and maturity were so profound, he was asked to sing on two of URM’s praise teams, and he’s serving on a servant leadership team, helping to run church services, devotions, and Bible studies.
“With all the destructive things I was doing before, death hung all over me all the time,” he explains. “But I learned that Jesus died for me, and I began to realize that if I was going to change, I’d have to die, too, in a way. So thanks to Union Rescue Mission and everyone who supports this place, it’s like I’m being reborn.
“When I leave this place someday, it’ll be just like Jesus when He walked out of the tomb on Easter. I’ll have a brand-new life with a whole new future. I’ll be the man God created me to be.”
Because of You
Ben’s Story
For 15 years, I struggled with a meth addiction that cost me everything, including my family. Even my kids wanted nothing to do with me.
Then I went to Union Rescue Mission in 2011. They helped me get closer to God and taught me how to live my life in a totally different way. It took time, but my family started to trust me again. And today, my kids and I are closer than ever. I’ve even started a silkscreen business with one my sons.
I want to thank all the donors of Union Rescue Mission. They not only changed my life, they’ve transformed my entire family.
People on Skid Row who are struggling with addictions and homelessness need hope that new life is possible for them. Because Jesus walked out of His tomb, you and I know that new life is more than just a hope. When men, women, and children experiencing homelessness come to Union Rescue Mission, they receive the real, tangible help they need to rebuild their lives. That’s what your gifts really mean to hurting people at Union Rescue Mission — thank you!
Your gift will provide hot meals — and new life — this Easter! It doesn’t cost much to help transform a life. And that’s what our “Give a Little, Help a Lot” campaign is all about. Your generous gift of $25, $35, or more today will help provide hurting men, women, and children with hot meals, safe shelter, long-term help — and hope for new life this Easter season. So, please send the most generous gift you can today. Thank you!
Notes From Andy
You’re the Co-Star in This Skid Row Drama
Right now, there’s a drama unfolding on Skid Row, right outside the doors of Union Rescue Mission — a drama in which you’re one of the co-stars.
Let me explain.
Every day, thousands of desperate men, women, and children are struggling to survive on streets piled with trash and sidewalks that reek of human waste — a dark wasteland infested with predators who feed on vulnerable people trapped in addiction, trapped in poverty, trapped in hunger, and trapped in sexual abuse. An aura of emotional, spiritual, and even physical death hangs over these streets. And the tragedy is, this drama is real.
Unscripted. And real lives are at stake. But you and I know this dramatic story doesn’t end there.
There’s hope. Easter hope.
When Jesus walked out of His tomb, He emerged with the power to defeat death, sin, darkness, and even Skid Row. And today He offers that same power to everyone who believes — including every man, woman, and child who comes to Union Rescue Mission seeking help.
That’s the miracle — the miracle of new life — we see in the lives of precious folks every day. That’s what Easter is all about. And it’s why we do what we do on behalf of all the hurting people on Skid Row. But if Jesus is the star of this drama, compassionate, caring people like you are His co-stars. There is no Union Rescue Mission and there is no lifesaving work here apart from you. Every meal served, every bed provided, every Bible study, every counseling session, every hour of training, and every encounter with Jesus — none of it is possible apart from you.
This Easter, together we will all celebrate the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and the new life He promises. But every day, I will also celebrate you and your partnership with Union Rescue Mission, as together we work to transform lives on Skid Row by the power of Jesus Christ.