Shining the light of Christ in Kansas City

Gordon wanted to be just like his father. “He only had a third-grade education, but he owned his own successful business. He was a strong man who believed in himself and taught me to be manly and self-reliant. I looked up to him.”

But his father also drank heavily, and when he went to work for his dad after high school, Gordon started drinking, too. “That’s when my life spiraled out of control,” he says.

Over the years, he tried to get sober, but relapsed again and again. He felt like a failure, far from the strong and self-reliant man his father had raised him to be. “I always wondered, ‘Am I good enough?’ I never had peace.”

Finally, he fell into a deep depression, quit his job and retreated to his apartment, alone and desperate. “I had lost faith in life. I was drinking myself to death,” he says. “Then my sister told me I needed to get help, and that night in a dream, God told me to come here.”

Gordon did what the Lord said and came to City Union Mission, where he found what he’d been searching for all his life. “I’ve been reborn. I’m a child of God.”

“Now I’m walking with God.”

Through one-on-one counseling, faith-based classes and membership in a local church, Gordon has found the emotional healing, support and strategies he needs to live his life in a new way. “Now, when I have struggles, I put them in the Father’s hands and I have peace of mind.”

Through our Mission Works Vocational Development, Gordon plans to complete forklift training, then we’ll connect him with potential employers. And when he’s saved enough money, he’ll get a place of his own. “The Mission has given me the opportunity to succeed. Now, my future looks bright.”

With Jesus’ love in his heart and hope for the future, Gordon is grateful for your support this Easter. “I’m going to keep my faith strong and follow the path the Lord has for me.”

Click here to download the Easter 2023 issue of Light Newsletter