A Purpose Reimagined – Mission Accomplished: Michelle and Kimberly

The beauty of a transformed life is watching as transformation multiplies.

Michelle Bethea found shelter at the Mission 32 years ago. Domestic abuse was ransacking her life. Furthermore, her children’s eyes and hearts were witnesses of the terror she faced. No one felt safe.

Michelle turned to her attorney for help. He recommended Orlando Union Rescue Mission. She recalls, “My kids and I grabbed as much as we could, threw it in a bag, and fortunately, O.U.R. Mission was waiting with welcome arms.”

“Everyone on staff was superb…that night when we were finally able to get some rest, it was like the best rest of our lives…it was a safe place,” Michelle said.

From that harrowing time in 1990 to today, Michelle’s life has completely transformed. She left the Mission after six months with enough money to afford a down payment on a new apartment. Now, 32 years later, she has seen many successes — from her own real estate business to her children’s careers to her growing family of four grandchildren.

Her pursuit for safety and freedom didn’t end when she left the Mission. It was simply reimagined. “If I ever get to a position where I can volunteer or give back in some way,” she would dream. “It was in my heart; that was my purpose.”

Michelle achieved her dream. She now serves alongside her granddaughters, Jordyn and Jada, and their mom Kimberly. “It’s very rewarding. When you volunteer, you get to see the faces and you were once that face,” Kimberly shares.

In addition, Michelle and Kimberly started The Front Porch Café, an online southern cuisine café which donates 5% of its net quarterly income directly to the Mission.

When lives like Michelle and Kimberly’s transform at the Mission, we consider it all joy! But God reveals even bigger blessings when we witness the compounding effect of our past guests extending a hand to new guests.

To learn more about The Front Porch Café, visit etsy.com/shop/TheFrontPorchCafe