You may see Mario walking to and from work here in Memphis. If you do, stop and say hello! He will be happy to share a cheerful greeting and spread some joy around.
That is what Mario is about these days—sharing the joy and compassion he learned at Calvary Colony.
His life was not always joyful. In fact, it was far from it. He spent his life searching for the person he wanted to be. “But I kept sabotaging myself,” Mario admits. “I used to do bad things.”
Mario is a new person today. “My soul has been forgiven, and I am a new creation!” he happily exclaims.
When Mario came to Memphis Union Mission, he had nothing: no money, no food, no friends. He kept to himself and did not like opening up to the other men. “But then I saw the compassion and kindness in the staff at Calvary Colony. I knew then that I wanted to know the Jesus they knew,” Mario says.
And so he did. Mario searched after God, praying for forgiveness. “When I found Jesus, He forgave me. All of the guilt and shame I carried was gone,” he explains. “The relief I felt was a big weight taken off of me.”
Now graduated from Calvary Colony, Mario is working a good job and plans to go to school and train for a new career. He is also active in his church and learning to open up to others and make friends. He reconnected with his daughters, who he says now look at him with hope in their eyes.
“Faith,” he says, “it’s a good thing!”
Mario is now living life full of the joy of the Lord—and it shows! He is beyond grateful for the help you provided for him and others. “Thank you,” he says. “You gave without expecting anything in return, but your gifts helped return me back to my family and become a new person!”
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