Celebrating the blessing of NEW LIFE
“I turned to stone.”
Christmas is all about family . . . and for the last ten years that made it a terrible holiday for Lester. “I lost my mother back in 1999,” he explains, “and it was like my insides were ripped out. I turned to stone. I fell into a deep depression. It got to the point where I couldn’t even be around people.”
So while Lester’s father and siblings celebrated the holidays together, Lester isolated himself, creating excuses not to go. “Looking back, I feel really bad,” he says.
Lester lived with his father, caring for him when he became ill. To scrape out a living, he’d do odd jobs, because a full-time job meant being around too many people. When his father had to move to a nursing home, Lester was left with a crisis: unemployed for ten years, emotionally unable to function, estranged from his siblings . . . homeless.
New Life
Lester came to Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County just for the food and a hot shower. But then, “The second night, I said, ‘I believe this is a place where I can pull it together.’”
Having his immediate needs met was an important turning point. As he explains, “You can think clearer when you have somewhere that you can sleep and food to eat. If you’re thinking about those things, it’s hard to get past that and move on to something else.”
But through your support, Lester also discovered the spiritual and emotional care he desperately needed. “It’s a biblically based place,” he shares, “they stand on the Word of God. And my counselor basically lets me spill over and get it all out. My father just passed, and she was very instrumental in helping me then.”
New Goals
This Christmas season, Lester has two new goals. First, he wants to become a pastor, to help set a good example for others. Second, he wants to be just like you. “I would like to turn around and become one of those givers,” he explains, “because I heard of their existence but I really didn’t believe it until I came here!”
Clearly, Lester has come a long way from the man who could barely leave his house. And he credits it all to people like you who care enough to provide life-changing services at UGM-TC. May God bless you for the blessings you’ve shared!
“This Christmas season, Lester has two new goals. First, he wants to become a pastor. Second, he wants to be just like you.”
