"I didn’t know what home was, and I didn’t know what Love was" Jodi

Because of the abuse, by the age of 7, Jodi was already drinking. “I learned early how to self-medicate to take the pain away,” she says. At 17, Jodi married and soon had two children. But the marriage turned abusive, and Jodi once again found herself alone. Shortly after it ended, she tried something she would end up regretting. She discovered drugs. “Drugs just took everything away,” she recalls. “For three seconds, I never felt so good in my life. And that was it.” That started her on a long run of addiction, depression, self-hatred, and suicide attempts. But at 39, sick of her life, she heard God say, “Follow me.” She gave up everything and let God lead. Judi tried to follow Him as best she could, but her life was desperately out of control. She says. “God told me, ‘It’s time for you to learn how to love my people.’ I said, ‘But Lord, I don’t even love myself.’ He just said, ‘Yes, and we’re going to work on that.’” It took a few years, but in 2019, she ran out of options. “At the time, I was working, but I couldn’t afford a place to live,” she says. ”I barely had enough money to eat.” With nowhere to go, she rented a storage unit and lived inside. It was miserable and she desperately needed a safe place to live. But when COVID hit, like so many others, she lost her job and her only source of income. When she couldn’t afford to pay the rent on the storage unit any longer, “God said, ‘Are you ready?’ I threw up my hands and said, ‘Yes, sir.’” Hungry, desperate and alone, Jodi came to Union Rescue Mission looking for a meal and some hope. But she found so much more. Soon joined URM’s apprenticeship program and started serving—and loving—other hurt and vulnerable women just like her. “I started seeing everyone around me through God’s eyes. He said, “Remember how I told you you’re going to love my people?’ I thought, ‘Oh goodness, this is why I’m here. Today, for the first time in her life, Jodi feels loved. Through the generosity of people like you, God has shown her how to love herself. And she’s now free to love others who have gone through similar struggles. “This is where God was leading me all my life. This is where I finally learned how deeply loved I really am. This is where I found family. These are my parents, my sons and daughters, my brothers and sisters. I’m on Skid Row, the worst place in America. But this is where I found home, and I don’t want to be anywhere else.” This year Judi is looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving. She says she has so much to be grateful for, including recently reuniting with her youngest son. This will be their first Thanksgiving together in years. “I also want to thank all the donors,” she says. “Thanks to you, I’m finally home.”