A New Calling: Anna’s Story
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Before Anna came to the Mission, she couldn’t stop re-reading Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness. And rivers in the desert.” Anna desperately wanted God to do something new with her life. Her body […]
No Getaway Car: Shenell’s Story
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In the movies, a thrilling escape scene often involves the roaring engine of a getaway car. For Shenell, running away was much quieter. When Shenell fled from domestic abuse, she had no driver’s license. In fact, she was terrified of the road. Her main form of transportation was the bus, and travel was difficult with […]
Making the Impossible Possible: The Guzmans’ Story
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] A four-car collision knocked the Guzmans’ precarious finances to the pavement at the end of 2021. A Lyft driver, Luis’ lost his source of income in a moment. Genesis, his wife, now had no transportation to get to work. It felt like there was no hope. This theme of hopelessness was not new. It […]
Aaron’s Story: When It Rains, It Pours
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Hurricane Ian robbed Aaron of his room. It’s not the first hardship he’s faced. When the world shut down and COVID-19 spread in 2020, Aaron’s life imploded. After years apart and a thousand-mile separation, he and his wife finalized a divorce. Meanwhile, the start-up for which he worked in Gainesville let him go. His spiral […]
Norberto’s Story: Dedicated Dad with Gratitude
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Life was a challenge for Norberto before he came to the Mission. He grew up with siblings from different fathers, and his grandmother did her best to raise him, but he began selling drugs when he was thirteen. His childhood was enormously unstable – at eleven years old he ran away from home, staying […]
Gary’s Story: A life of crime to a life of Christ through Project Hope
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] From criminal to Project Hope Disciple, Gary finds the support and encouragement he needs to transform his life. Gary’s life was never easy. Growing up, he endured many challenges due to his undiagnosed learning disability. Although he took special education classes, his mental difficulties prohibited him from staying still, being calm, and controlling his […]
Daniell’s Story: A single mother of four finds refuge and a new outlook on life
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Daniell, a single mother of two, was overjoyed to learn that she and her fiancé were expecting their first child together. “I stopped working to be an at-home wife and mother,” Daniell says. After the arrival of their son, they married. “Then, things went downhill.” Daniell’s husband began abusing drugs. “It just got really, […]
Matthew’s Story: From addict and criminal to Project Hope disciple
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] “My life was a mess,” says Matthew, describing his history before arriving at the Orlando Union Rescue Mission more than two years ago. At the time, he was a fifteen-year drug addict with an extensive criminal record and was facing a new charge of dealing in stolen property. The judge offered him probation if […]
