Mission Moments - Snapshots from the Soul
2007 | 2006 | 2005Erin
Erin grew up in beautiful San Diego County in California, but that beauty was not reflected in her home-life. As the oldest of five children, Erin endured physical abuse from her father and neglect from her mother. "It was that way for all of us," she says.
Paul
When Paul came to the Christian Life Program he was a dogmatic atheist. He was able to refute all of the arguments for why someone should need Christ.
Jonathan
Not everyone who has thoughts of suicide is down and out financially. Thoughts of suicide attacked Jonathan’s mind even though his stomach was full, and he had just come from the casinos with almost $2,000 in his pocket.
Larry
Larry grew up in a family where both parents were alcoholics. At 19 years of age he decided to join the Army. Vietnam was going hot and heavy at the time, and he was gung ho to go. When he returned home from serving our country he was rejected by friends and family members. "Nobody in my family went, and none of my friends either. So I was pretty much shunned."
Lissha
Lissha, a graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) with a degree in English Language Arts, will be teaching at Raytown High School this Fall. But first she felt drawn to be on Summer Staff at City Union Mission.
Donald
Last winter, 34-year-old Donald was drowning. He was unemployed, homeless, addicted to drugs and alcohol and estranged from his family. He wanted desperately to turn his life around, but he didn’t know how.
Angela F.
Angela had never been to summer camp before when a good friend invited her to Camp CUMCITO (City Union Mission’s Camp In The Ozarks). Ten years later, 23-year-old Angela still remembers how wowed she was by that special week. She remembers the fireworks, the pool, the chance to grow in her relationship with God, and the opportunity to make some new friends who were very different from her. She met teens who were homeless or lived in poverty, who had broken families and who suffered from neglect and abuse.
Sheila
Sheila's inner-city apartment was a slum. “There were no doorknobs on the doors, and the pipes under the kitchen sink were duct taped together,” says this 26-year-old single mother. “When the pipes broke, we had to haul water from the bathroom.”
Jeff
As a professional chef, Jeff Addison enjoyed preparing wonderful meals for large catered events, but he agonized as untouched excess food was thrown away. Jeff hated seeing the food go to waste when he knew so many homeless people in Kansas City were hungry. So he loaded up his vehicle with the extra food and took it downtown to hand out to the homeless.
