Daniel had faced hardships since a young age. His father died when he was just nine. Though he still had his mom, he rebelled and ran wild during adolescence. By 23 years old, the consequences of bad choices had left him with nowhere to turn. He had burned bridges with family and friends and didn’t even have a place to stay.
That’s when a friend brought him to Memphis Union Mission. Daniel not only had a place to lay his head and hot meals but also heard the Gospel preached each day during mealtimes. Within just a couple of weeks, Daniel was convicted and stirred to make the decision to accept Christ. After counseling with a pastor at the Mission, Daniel accepted Christ as His Savior. Daniel began to walk with the Lord, and right away, he found in himself a new desire to serve others with all his heart. With the help of the Holy Spirit, Daniel was able to persevere and find freedom from his drug and alcohol addictions.
Since then, Daniel has clung to God and been thoroughly blessed as a result. He graduated from the Mission’s recovery program and went on to complete his associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees at college. He also continued to deepen his spiritual walk alongside other believers at his church. Even more than that, Daniel was blessed with a wife, two little girls, and a boy.
Daniel now wants to give back and minister to others who were in the same hopeless position he once was in. He’s gone on mission trips to the Bahamas and Honduras where he was able to show God’s love and minister to those far away. He’s also been a driver to pick up clients at the Mission’s Calvary Colony and take them to church. Daniel especially enjoyed leading the first home group of his church’s young adult singles ministry. He remembers how difficult it was to get plugged into a church as he moved from college to college, so he especially enjoys helping people get connected with other believers.
Daniel is so thankful for generous donors like you. “Many in our world have lost hope for the homeless population considering the prevalence of mental health issues and addictions throughout that community,” says Daniel. “It’s incumbent upon the church to have hope where others have lost all hope and to be the last line of defense for society’s most vulnerable. God often uses the least qualified so no one questions it’s God at work in that person. God can get a hold of anyone of those men at the Mission and accomplish great things for His kingdom. That’s certainly what he’s done through me!”
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