“I’M A CHANGED PERSON!”
Your support warmed Denise physically and spiritually!
Ask Denise how she’s doing today, and she’ll answer with her trademark big smile and the words, “I’m blessed!”
That’s not the answer she’d have given you a year ago . . .
Putting the past behind her
When she started coming to Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County for breakfast, Denise was trapped in a cycle of addiction, and in trouble with the law. But, touched by the kindness she received and realizing she needed to make a change, she soon asked to join our life-recovery program.
Denise entered our program, and she remembers, “It was getting really cold that day.” So she was very grateful for a warm bed to sleep in . . . and even more grateful for the help she received to overcome her past!
“My counselor says, ‘you can’t forget the past,’” she explains, “’but you can put it behind you.’ That’s what I’m doing. I’m in a program now that helps you get your GED, and I work for the daycare here.”
The most important thing she’s learned, she says, is “if you’re going to make a change, you’ve got to keep your Father above you. My Father is not going to let me fall. I’m a changed person. I’m God’s child. It’s wonderful here. That’s all I can say.”
Sharing the joy
In fact, Denise wants to share her newfound joy with everyone she meets. “If I see a young lady crying, I tell her, ‘Lay your head on my shoulder and I’m going to lift your spirits back up.’ I even stop homeless people in the street and tell them to call this number. I tell them, ‘God doesn’t want you to be this way.’”
And in her deep concern for those still trapped by the past, she says urgently, “Union Gospel Mission needs to expand. There are more people out there who need the same help I am receiving now. The need is great.”
Through your generous support, Denise certainly has come a long way. Please continue to stand with us this winter as more women like Denise come to our doors seeking a new life. As she says, the need is great!
“There are more people out there who need the same help I am receiving now. The need is great.”
