COLORADO From Denver Rescue Mission, Denver, Colorado Abari’s Story:
Abari beams positivity as he reflects on the events of his life. He has always had an optimistic outlook—a mindset that stems from his mother and the way he was raised. Abari was born in Chicago. He lived in Sioux Falls, Iowa for a few years and then spent the rest of his childhood in Evans, Colorado. When Abari was a child, his parents separated, but his mother always reminded him that he was loved and that he could accomplish anything in life. She also taught him the importance of treating people with kindness and giving back to the community. “I grew up meeting a lot of different people of different cultures,” Abari said. “My mother brought us up to not base our outlook and opinions on race or how people looked, but to judge them by their works, how they act and how they treat you.” His mother worked in the medical field, which taught Abari the importance of helping people. When Abari moved to Denver, he wanted to find a way to volunteer on his days off from his job at a marketing research company and found Denver Rescue Mission as an opportunity to get involved. Abari enjoyed volunteering at the Mission and wanted to simply give back to others. “I’ve really enjoyed meeting a lot of the staff here and seeing that they’re enjoying helping people,” he said. “It’s really inspiring to me.” Abari ended up losing both his job and his home abruptly. He found himself staying in hotel rooms until he found a place in Aurora, which was a completely different experience for him. “It wasn’t horrible, but Colfax is only like six blocks south of that, and every now and then you hear gunshots and a lot of activity,” described Abari, “so I ended up just leaving there, and that’s when I started coming here [to DRM].” Now, Abari is working on prioritizing his goals and plans for the future. Music is a passion that has always been a part of Abari’s life. Growing up, he played the standup acoustic bass as well as several other instruments. He excelled at an early age and joined the Greeley Chamber Orchestra as a teenager and played with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. “At one point, I think I was probably in six or seven different groups,” he said. “I was going around the state, sometimes outside of [the] state. Everything I was doing was pretty much just music based, and it got so overwhelming to where I just started cancelling everything. But now that I’m older, I’m debating whether or not I want to venture off into that again, but with a different perspective. It still is something that’s a part of me and something that I love.” Abari also loves the arts, including music, drawing, sculpting, and film. But one of his main passions is helping people. His innate nature to give back to others, along with his experience volunteering at the Mission, has inspired him to consider applying to become a Peer Navigator, a Mission staff member who has personally experienced homelessness, so that he can encourage others to find hope and pursue their dreams. “With my experience and what I’ve learned, I want to try to help somebody achieve, pursue or develop their aspirations,” he said. Abari reflects on why he chooses to give back to his community and why he remains positive for whatever the future has in store for him. It all goes back to his faith. Having a father with an Israeli Hebrew background and a Christian mother, Abari grew up in the church learning about Jesus. Although he’s had life struggles that have tested his faith, he has always been a strong believer. “I used to be involved in the drug scene, but I f inally got that out of my life 20 years ago,” he said. “But the spiritual, religious background was always part of my life. That’s one of the things that carried me on.” Just like Jesus showed kindness to the poor and the broken, Abari is doing his best to extend that same kindness to those around him. He chooses to trust God’s plan for his life, even when it can be hard to understand the path God is leading him on. “I consider the Most High and the sacrifices that He took for us and mankind,” Abari said. “The least I could do is try to live like [Jesus]. I think that all things happen for a reason, and my Creator has deemed it necessary for me to be here, so I’m just trying to follow. I ask Him to guide me and open my eyes to understand what He’s trying to show me.” Written by: Linneya Gardner, Content and Photography Intern and Jacob Cain, former Denver Rescue Mission Assistant Food Services Manager For more information: Denver Rescue Mission 6100 Smith Road, Denver, CO 80216 Phone: 303.297.1815 Email: info@denrescue.org Website: http://www.DenverRescueMission.org Follow us at http://www.twitter.com/denverrescue or at Facebook.com/DenverRescue
UTAH From Rescue Mission of Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, Utah Melissa’s Story:
Five years ago, my life seemed OK. I lived in Elko with my husband and our three children. We made a good living and seemed successful. But in 2017 addiction took a greater hold in our lives. We were soon divorced, and my husband took guardianship of our children, as I worked to get sober. But without connection to family, my addiction grew worse and I was selling drugs and using sex to get drugs and money. I was mired in a terrible life in Nevada. I felt I needed to get back to my children, who had since gone to live with their grandpa and aunt in Lehi, Utah. I traveled to Utah to see if I could reconnect with my family, but I was really in no shape for a homecoming. I was not taking the prescription medication I needed to manage my bi-polar disorder and was using illegal street drugs, such as meth. I was homeless and when I had a severe depressive episode, I was hospitalized. As I recovered, the hospital staff asked me if I had a place to go when I was released. I really had nowhere but as I was lying there, a phone number came into my mind. It was a phone number I had called a few times before to seek help when I was homeless. It was the number to the Rescue Mission’s Women’s Center. I asked the hospital staff to call the number and when the Rescue Mission answered I told them I needed help and a place to stay. They agreed to give me a chance on their New Life Program, and so I arrived at the Mission on May 14, 2020. The biggest thing I had to accept in joining the program was that it was 13 months of my life. I thought, “what’s going to happen to my children. What about the few belongings I still have. How will this impact my future relationships with everyone knowing I had been in a long-term recovery program?” But God gave me the strength to commit. It was hard to tell my family about my decision. It embarrassed me because although they knew I JOY struggles, I don’t think they realized how bad my life had become until I told them I was joining the Rescue Mission’s program. Still, being honest about how broken I was a huge first step for me. As I worked through the New Life Recovery Program, I found that it was f illed with counselors and staff and other program members who genuinely cared about being my friend. It seemed like they wanted to have a real relationship and even friendship with me, not just work through a series of counseling questions. I found that real companionship can blossom and even grow during recovery. It was not 13-months of constant struggle, it was enjoyable at times, too. I say “at times” because certainly there were difficulties and frustrations. I was challenged to get to the bottom of my issues. To forgive those who hurt me in the past and, in turn, accept forgiveness for the wrong things I have done. And, most importantly, to truly accept Jesus and what He did by providing eternal forgiveness for us on the cross. I love attending my home church of Calvary Baptist and learning more about Jesus. I need that connection to my church because I need people in my life who will encourage me to stay close to Jesus. As God has changed me over this past year, He has also been faithful to restore my relationships with my children and family. My children view my word as trustworthy now. They believe the things I tell them and trust that I am able to follow though. They are thriving living with their aunt and step-grandfather in Lehi. One way God has blessed us is that I never lost custody of my children. They are under a temporary guardianship now, but I will be able to have full custody again when I graduate the New Life Program. I am currently saving money so I can get a small apartment where my kids and I can live together. When I moved to the employment phase of the New Life Program, God provided me with a good job at a Maverik Country Store just a few blocks from the Rescue Mission’s Women’s Center. After two months I was promoted to shift lead. Maverik is a good, stable company with great benefits, so I feel blessed to work there. I am hoping to be able to transfer to a store in Lehi or somewhere in northern Utah County when I graduate because I would like to move there so my kids and I can be close to the rest of our family who have been so instrumental in raising them. Even as I look forward to living with my kids again, I know I need to take everything slow and not forget to take steps each day to seek the fellowship with God and His people that I need to stay sober. My mental health is doing so much better and, with the correct prescription and sobriety, my bi-polar disorder is well controlled. I know God’s healing has been a part of that as well. Please pray for me as I make the transition out of the Rescue Mission’s New Life Program and work to reunite with my children, who are 12, 9, and 4. I feel like as long as we are together and have God in our lives, that is all that matters. Thank you for supporting the Rescue Mission and giving me another chance to be a mom and a sober person again who knows Jesus. For more information: Rescue Mission of Salt Lake, 463 S. 400 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Phone: (801) 355-1302. Website: http://www.rescuesaltlake.org
WYOMING From Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, Casper, Wyoming Joy’s Story:
After two broken marriages, Joy was devastated. As she struggled to cope with her heartbreak and loss, she rekindled an addiction she thought she’d overcome. Soon she was unable to hold a job… she was evicted from her home… and she lost her will to live. “I was totally broken. Totally hopeless. Totally suicidal,” she says. Knowing her only salvation was submitting her life to the Lord, she gave up all her belongings, came to our ministry and joined our Discipleship Recovery Program. “I did it joyfully, knowing I would become a disciple of Christ.” With the guidance of our counselors, she started praying – persistently – and her heart began to heal. “I had a spiritual awakening and God took away my struggles,” she shares. Through Bible study, faith-based classes and the inspiration of Christian mentors, she built a foundation for the discipleship she was seeking. “I have fully stepped into my identity in Christ, and He has changed my habits, my thoughts, my temperament and my strength, completely.” Because of her godly demeanor, she was chosen to mentor others in our program and then felt God calling her into ministry herself. Today she is a fulltime college student working toward a degree in addiction counseling and hopes to one day serve as a chaplain here at Wyoming Rescue Mission. Currently, she balances her class schedule with a job in our Rescued Treasures Thrift Store. “I am so happy to be working for the people who, with God’s help, saved my life,” she says. Joy is beyond grateful for this second chance in life – and says it’s thanks to the love you’ve shown for a neighbor like her. “I was at the end of my life. But since coming to this ministry, I’m on a new road.” For more information on our FREE Discipleship Program, contact us at: Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, P O Box 2030 Casper, WY 82602 230 N. Park Street, Casper, WY 82601 / Phone: (307) 265-2251 The Transformation Center (307) 233-6925 / https://wyomission.org
