Mission Moments - Snapshots from the Soul
Every person who passes through the doors of City Union Mission has a unique story to tell - every man, every woman, and every child. Some stories are gripping, some are interesting, and some are heartwarming, while others are heartbreaking.
We have captured several stories that may change the way you view homelessness forever. Here is your chance to take a glimpse into the lives of a few of our precious clients, volunteers, and donors. We hope you will take a minute to engross yourself in these powerful testimonies. Please place yourself in their shoes, and join them in their past sorrows as well as their newfound joy.
CW
The Call
Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
CW is on staff at City Union Mission as a Men’s Shelter Case Manager. “My job is great. We function as a team. That means I’m involved with just about every step in the process the men go though when they stay at the mission. Some of what I do is to help the guys fill out applications and forms, get them scheduled in the Learning Center, as well as to help them manage Bible assignments. Sometimes they need medical attention when our nurse isn’t here, so I get bus passes to them. I meet regularly with the men to make sure they are making measurable progress in all areas of their program. That means networking with legal, medical, vocational, educational and any other applicable resources. I am primarily responsible for future planning, aftercare and follow-up with my case management clients. The most important part of my job, and the thing I enjoy most, is sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the men here.”
“Another responsibility I have is to apply appropriate discipline when necessary. I’m pretty tender hearted, so it can be tough to be hard. But when appropriate discipline is withheld from a man it really hurts him. God’s word says in Proverbs 13:18,
“Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline,
But he who regards reproof will be honored.” (NAS)
“I am at the place where I need to be because God led me through a series of circumstances. I’m able to both cry with the men, and also provide the appropriate discipline for them, when it is necessary.”
“At 5 or 6 I received a strong sense from God that I am called to be a missionary. I didn’t know till much later that it would not be overseas, but rather here in the US. When I was 55 years old God sent me out. The years in-between were preparation.”
CW is a middle child with 8 siblings, 6 of whom are alive. The first half of the siblings experienced a strong powerful role model in their father. “He taught us biblical principles.” But the younger kids got a broken challenged dad. “My father had an accident at his work when I was 15 years old. He had been the breadwinner for thirty years, on two full time jobs. After the accident he could do nothing. It really changed him, and not just physically. His mind was never the same. He just couldn’t seem to make the adjustment. And because the younger kids didn’t have the benefit of having a strong father, like I did, it left them more vulnerable to drugs and alcohol. One of my younger brothers has struggled for years with addictions.”
“Most of my life I’ve been listening to the Pacific Gardens radio show, “Unshackled.” “Pacific Gardens is a Rescue Mission in Chicago. They feature a different story about how a poor or homeless person is set free from some addiction, or whatever the person’s problem is. The Rescue Mission offers a way out of the problem, a way back to a productive life, through the power of Jesus Christ. I love those stories. The people are real, and so is their suffering and struggles. They still touch me.”
“I started bringing men to City Union Mission to get cleaned up in the ‘70s. One of them is my younger brother, who struggles with addictions. He’s been to here several times, but never got serious until now. Today he is in the RECON program, which stands for Reconciliation. The goal of the ministry is to help men, through the power of God in Jesus Christ, transition from dependency to become independent providers.”
“My Training as a salesman for 21 years, and then at a funeral home for 4 years, is invaluable to me. The training from all my life experiences is what enables me to be God’s missionary right here in Kansas City. I know how to be tender and tough. God sends His people out prepared. He uses every experience to bring a person where they need to be so He can use them. None of what we go through is wasted.”
“You really can’t help someone if they are not willing to do their part. It’s the only way. I’ve seen it time and time again. Each day I have the opportunity to speak truth to men, to give them hope for a future, to help them put the pieces of their lives back together.”
City Union Mission is a great place. Whenever a meal is served, so is the gospel. I know of no other church or organization that feeds the men the gospel of Jesus Christ as often as City Union Mission. I know I’m right where God wants me to be. I love it!”
Please click here to find out how you can receive Jesus Christ into your heart.