When Christian was 8, his father took him from his mother in Mexico and brought him to the United States “for a better life.” It didn’t work out the way he hoped. “When my dad brought me here, that was a tough thing,” Christian recalls. “I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t speak the language and it was a completely different culture. I just wanted to go back home.” His early life in the United States was filled with trauma—most of which he doesn’t want to talk about. By the time he left high school, he was filled with anger, depression, and anxiety.
How YOU Helped
Christian Find
His Way Home
How YOU Helped Christian Find His Way Home
To cope with his mental health issues, Christian turned to drinking and drugs. His life quickly spiraled out of control. By 2017, his family no longer wanted anything to do with him, and he found himself on Skid Row. “ Skid Row is not a place meant for humans,” Christian says. “One day, I saw something violent and terrible happen to a man next to me. I was really scared. At that moment, I heard a voice say, ‘Son, get up; I’m going to take care of you.’ So, I got up and started walking, and I kept walking until God led me to Union Rescue Mission.”
When Christian walked into URM, he was filled with anger, blaming the world for everything that had happened to him. He credits his chaplains and his counselors in the Pepperdine Mental Health clinic with helping him work through it. “They showed me so much love and compassion. URM’s staff were really patient and never gave up on me. My counselors helped me to see I have mental health issues, including PTSD. They helped me learn how to control my emotions better.” The biggest change, however, came a year and a half ago when he had a spiritual awakening. “God showed me how to listen and how to depend on Him,” he says. “I learned to trust in God and to hand all my depression, anger, and anxiety to Him.” Since Christian’s awakening, he has devoted his life to serving others. “I’m part of the Servant Leadership group here,” he says. “We try to do God’s will on Skid Row, passing out water, sandwiches, sodas, and pastries. Going back out there reminds me of where I came from, and it keeps me humble. I know God is working through me, and He has some big plans for me in the years ahead.” “I’m really grateful to God, my Lord Jesus Christ, everyone at Union Rescue Mission, and all the donors for giving me a second chance. Because of your giving heart, you took this broken man and showed him the way home.”
Let’s Enter 2023 2X Stronger!
Most of the men, women, children, and families devastated by homelessness in Los Angeles in 2022 have little hope that their lives will be any different in 2023—but YOU can help change that!
Right now, generous friends of Union Rescue Mission have offered to match every gift we receive before December 31, up to $500,000!
The gift you send will be doubled— automatically—to provide twice as much help for hurting people at Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens, and Angeles House as they rebuild their lives in 2023.
That means TWICE the safe shelter, warm clothing, hot meals, and even hope… but you must send your gift before December 31!
So, I urge you please send the most generous gift you can today.
Thank you!
Put your gift to work right now!
Will There Be Room at the Inn this Christmas?
Los Angeles has suffered overwhelming challenges over the past 2+ years. While there are signs of recovery today, there are still tens of thousands of people who have been left behind. Many are now turning to here for help, stretching our resources and available space.
• Los Angeles is home to an estimated 66,000 unhoused people—20% of all Americans living outside.
• More than five unhoused men, women, and children die each day in L.A.
• People are falling into homelessness faster than those on the streets can be moved inside.
• Large tent communities are growing on city streets and in parks.
• We’re sheltering nearly 225 families—many in our gym on Skid Row.
So many are seeking our help, we’re running out of space and must rent hotel rooms for them. With your support, we’ll offer them hope! You can help provide safe shelter, nutritious meals, life-changing care, and the love of Jesus Christ to neighbors devastated by homelessness and looking for a way home at Union Rescue Mission.
YEAR-END GIVING
There are ways to make a year-end gift, GIVING in addition to a cash gift, and still enjoy valuable tax benefits, such as donating appreciated assets like stock or from your IRA/RMO directly to URM.
Are you already making annual gifts to help our ministry? Consider adding a planned gift to your current gifts this year. Increase the impact of your giving, provide greater tax savings, and help continue our work in the future.
For more information please contact: Tim Peters 213-316-2742 or tpeters@urm.org
This information is not intended as tax, legal or financial advice. Gift results may vary. Consult your personal financial advisor for information specific to your situation.
Stories from Skid Row
A journey from escaping domestic violence to safety and life restoration.
NOTES FROM ANDY
Together, We Can Meet the Challenge
Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, it seems like we’ve all faced crisis after crisis. We’ve seen friends and family fall ill or even die. Others lost jobs and income. This past year, rising costs for—well, everything—have led to more hunger, poverty, and homelessness. Add to that growing domestic violence, drug use (especially fentanyl), and mental health issues, and we are now in the midst of a perfect hurricane of need all over Los Angeles. In fact, so many people have sought our help that we’re now serving nearly 225 families at Union Rescue Mission, Hope Gardens, and Angeles House—and more come every day! Yet, that’s not all. High costs for goods have challenged our ability to meet the growing need, while at the same time, donations to Union Rescue Mission have fallen since the height of the pandemic. Once more, we simply must rise to meet the challenge… and you can help. Thanks to an extraordinary $500,000 Matching Challenge, if you give by December 31, your gift will go TWICE as far! Men, women, children, and families devastated by homelessness need our help—and yours.
We can’t do this lifesaving work without you. Please send your most generous gift today.