“I found God at the Mission.”
Arturo had a rocky childhood. He was bullied at school. At home he worked hard to help his single mother raise his nine younger brothers. It was a lot of responsibility for a young man, and Arturo turned to drugs as an escape. “When you’re hurting a lot like I was, you just want something to put that pain away,” he explains.
As an adult, Arturo left home to build a better life for himself. He got married and started a family, but the relationship fell apart and his wife and three children moved out. “That’s when everything started going downhill. I didn’t want to face losing my wife and kids.”
Again, he turned to drugs to numb the hurt he felt inside. Even though his friends and family tried to help for a while, he eventually drove them all away. With no one else to go to, he began experiencing homelessness – until he learned about the Mission.
“I was at a low, but when I came to the Mission, my whole life changed,” he says. “I felt safe. I started to understand why I was supposed to be here. God led me here.”
“I didn’t want to face my problems, so I became homeless.”
When Arturo arrived at our doors, he was at an emotional and spiritual low. “I was blinded by hate,” he says. But as our staff and other guests talked to him about God, Arturo began to listen – and he opened his heart to the Lord.
Today, Arturo is a graduate of our Discipleship Program. He is working and saving money for his future. Through his time with us, he gained more self-control and redefined his priorities, which include reconnecting with his children.
“I found God at the Mission,” he says. “I made a lot of new friends who are like family. Now I want to help others.”
Thank you for loving neighbors like Arturo “as you’ve loved yourself.” Your kindness has reminded him that he is not alone and that a better life is possible! “I see life more positively. I love myself more. The old person I was is gone. I am new.”
Read the full Summer 2025 Newsletter here.