Many women who come to the Rescue Mission are fleeing from domestic violence or abuse.  It is heartbreaking to see women and children, fearful and broken, living on the streets or moving from motel to motel.  Which is why we are so grateful to be a safe place for these families as they arrive at our doors looking for help.

We welcome these women and children with open arms and watch as God restores their confidence and reminds them of the worth that their abusers tried to strip away.  I have incredible respect for these women who come from such difficult circumstances, but have the will to start over and provide a better life for their little ones.

One of these mothers is Stephanie, who is currently a resident at the Village of Hope.  Please read on to her story.

Stephanie’s Story

Stephanie could feel the darkness closing in.

Her husband had come home in a rage, and though she hadn’t done anything to provoke him, he came at her. And then she was fighting to stay conscious while his hands tightened around her neck.

Just before Stephanie blacked out, someone pulled her husband off of her.  Gasping for breath, Stephanie’s first thought wasn’t for herself. What she thought was, Did any of the kids see?  Stephanie would do anything to protect her children from the monster her husband had become.

Life had definitely taken a dramatic turn for Stephanie.  Before she got married, she was an independent, stable woman with a good job as a dental assistant.  But soon after they got married, her husband began to emotionally abuse her, which quickly escalated to physical abuse.  It was bad enough he had started drinking and abusing drugs, but his family did nothing to stop him or get him help. In fact, they seemed to turn a blind eye.  They even blamed Stephanie for her husband’s problems.

Once so full of confidence, Stephanie began losing her sense of self-worth.  While she struggled, she was most afraid for her two girls — and another on the way.  Mentally, physically and spiritually exhausted, Stephanie just had to get out.  Desperate for an answer to her situation, Stephanie prayed.

“The Lord told me either I stay here and I would die, or I have to get out of here,” Stephanie recalls. “I prayed, if I don’t make it out of here, just save my kids.” At that point she knew she just had to flee.

On a day she remembers well, she took her girls and left.  Soon after she arrived at the Rescue Mission, and Stephanie says, “I thought it was a miracle. I thought, we’re finally safe. We finally had somewhere where we could change our lives.”

At the Rescue Mission, she found a community of caring people and a renewed relationship with God.  Stephanie shares, “It took me time to grow, but I focused on my studies, on the Bible. I focused on what would help me, and asking, why did I end up in this type of relationship?”

Today, Stephanie is thriving with her three daughters and working as an intern at the Rescue Mission’s Hurtt Family Health Clinic — a position she took the initiative to pursue since no resident had ever worked in the clinic before.  “It was a process,” says Stephanie. “But they liked my idea and in the end, everybody said yes.”

Now, Stephanie feels confident that after she graduates, she’ll be able to make it on her own and provide for her daughters. Most of all, she hopes her new life will be peaceful.

“I’m working really hard,” she says. “I want to be able to do the best I can for my daughters.”

You helped Stephanie find the hope she desperately needed to start a new life for herself and her daughters.  And between now and May 31st, you can help even more families like Stephanie’s by giving your gift to be doubled today. 

Giving online is easy, safe, and quick. Your donation will make an immediate impact to provide meals, shelter and services for a homeless family in desperate need of a hand up to self-sufficiency.

“Most people just looked away.”  That’s how Mike described his experience as a homeless person on the streets.  You can probably relate.  It’s difficult to see someone who “looks like he just came out of the garbage can” as Mike described himself.

But the beauty of Mike’s story is that God never gave up on him, and neither did you.  Because of your support, Mike and others like him are able to come to Orange County Rescue Mission and receive food, shelter, and so much more.

Mike’s story started as one of heartbreak and brokenness, but now it is one of hope and redemption.

Mike’s Story

Mike should have died when his heart stopped – for the seventh time.

But after waking up very much alive, Mike could only conclude that God was keeping him around for a reason.

It wasn’t like he felt he deserved any second chances. Growing up with a dad who disciplined with his fists taught Mike how to fight, take a punch and be angry, just like his dad. Mike finally ran away at age 13. And with anger simmering just below the surface, fighting was always Mike’s first and last solution to his problems.

Not surprisingly, as an adult Mike was shot at, stabbed, arrested for DUIs and thrown in jail more times than he cared to remember. Mike was making an epic mess of his life. But God was just as determined to send Mike an epic message.

So He pulled Mike back from the brink of death one more time.

But then Mike’s best friend died of an esophageal hemorrhage. Four months later, the love of his life died in a horrific car accident. “When she died life was over for me. The lights went out. My world was total darkness.” Everything changed for the worse.

Deep in his grief, Mike lashed out at the world and ended up losing everything.

“For a long time I had a Honda that I lived in and slept in,” Mike says. One night, a couple guys tried to carjack him. Mike got hit over the head with a tire iron and the would-be carjackers ended up totaling Mike’s car.

“Then I was living right on the concrete,” Mike says. “I looked like I had just come out of a garbage can. Most people just looked away.”

But God wasn’t going to stop pursuing Mike. Mike shares a story of a night he took shelter in a doorway: A car pulled up and I thought it was someone who wanted to mess with me. He was a big man. I couldn’t see him — just a silhouette from the headlights. He came and sat down with me and asked if I want a smoke. “Yeah.” Are you hungry? “Yeah.” He came back with a big bag of McDonald’s and a leather bomber jacket. Then he sat down and talked with me for 30 minutes. And then I never saw him again. I always think if I ever had contact with an angel, that was it.

Living on the streets and completely out of hope, Mike found his way to the Rescue Mission. He wanted to change his life — but he wasn’t looking for a relationship with God. “It was so beautiful here, but I was so ugly,” he remembers. But it was at the Mission that Mike finally encountered the God who never gave up on him. Mike started reading the Bible and listening to worship music.

“I was such an angry mess, but as time went on I began to find my heart again with God’s help,” says Mike. “No one is more shocked than I am.”

Today, Mike is employed in a new field that he loves, after discovering he has an aptitude for maintenance work through his volunteer work assignment at the Rescue Mission.  He has successfully completed the program and graduated last night at our Spring Graduation!  He is now moving on to the next step on his journey to self-sufficiency.

“Now I open my eyes in the morning, I thank God that I slept in a bed because so many nights I slept in a jail cell, or in my car, or out on the streets,” Mike shares. “What happened to me was kind of miraculous.”

Or if you prefer, I invite you to listen to Mike’s amazing story in his own voice.

Your generosity helps people like Mike let go of the past and take steps toward a better future.  Thank you for your support!