Meet Crystal
See how your compassion gave Crystal a fresh start…
“I learned to walk with God.”
Crystal’s childhood was mostly happy, surrounded by family. But her life was disrupted when she was abused by a family friend she trusted. She didn’t know how to process what she’d experienced. “No one ever taught me how to deal with it,” she says. “I just pushed it to the back of my mind.”
By the time Crystal was just 13 years old, she was introduced to drugs. What began as curiosity escalated into an addiction that followed her into adulthood. Though she experienced brief seasons of sobriety, the cycle of addiction never fully released its grip.
Years later, after ending an abusive relationship, Crystal began to unravel. “Life looked good for me on the outside, but it wasn’t,” she says. “Inside, I was falling apart.” Her breaking point came when a near-fatal incident while driving under the influence left her unable to walk for a year. Eventually, she lost her housing… and hope.
That’s when Crystal walked through the doors of City Union Mission.
“This place is amazing,” she says. “They care about me, my health and making me better.” After spending time in the women’s shelter, Crystal committed to our New Life Program because she wanted more than temporary support – she wanted real change.
“The Mission is caring for me from the inside out, so I can be ready and whole again.”
Through our Christ-centered environment, Crystal encountered God in a new way. “Even though I attended church years ago, I didn’t understand God,” she says.
“Since I’ve been here, I’ve learned so much and grown closer to Him.” Surrounded by people she could trust, Crystal began healing – from addiction and the belief that she was worthless. “They taught me to value myself,” she says.
Because of you, neighbors like Crystal know that God loves them and they are worthy of a new beginning. Thank you for opening the door to hope and healing this summer! “This program changed everything about me. I learned to walk with God and feel like a whole different person.”
Click here to download the Summer 2026 issue of Light Newsletter.