Just As I Am
When Lissha Westmoreland Cole came to City Union Mission at age 10, her family had just left a battered women’s shelter and needed help getting back on their feet. "People assume it was rough at the shelter, that there would be people bothering you, but it was actually very pleasant at City Union Mission," Lissha remembers. "I was surrounded by many loving adults and had many examples of Christ."
After her mother graduated from our New Life and Transitional Housing programs, the family was independent once again. But the Mission continued to hold a special place in Lissha’s heart. She was so touched by the love and support her family received here, she decided to join in our outreach to homeless and urban youths by volunteering at Camp CUMCITO (City Union Mission’s Camp In The Ozarks).
As a camper, Lissha loved everything about Camp CUMCITO, from the fun activities to the caring counselors. So as soon as she could, she joined the camp staff. She volunteered nearly every summer, even when she was a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Although she loved working with all the kids, teen girls were her passion.
"There’s usually a waiting list for teen girls," she points out. "The girls always sign up early, but we don’t have enough people who volunteer."
The camp experience is just as important for teens as it is for younger children, Lissha explains. "Our kids are being bombarded with trash in society," she points out. "They get one chance to get away from all that at camp." While at camp, teens have a chance to drop the wall of protection they shield themselves with and encounter the love of God.
After graduating from MU in 2006 with a degree in secondary education, Lissha joined the faculty at Raytown High School, teaching English and hoping to inspire students to achieve more in their academic and personal lives.
This summer, Lissha will be back at camp, and joining her will be her new husband, Samuel Cole. Before the couple married in December, Samuel, who teaches 8th grade science in the Hickman Mills School District, got a chance to visit Camp CUMCITO with Lissha and discover why camp holds such special place in her heart.
"I would talk about camp incessantly to him," she says. "He understood once he experienced it himself. Camp opens kids up to new things and to hear the Word of God."
