Phillip’s Story
It all happened so slowly. Day by day, drink by drink, Phillip’s life was slipping away. But he couldn’t see it. Or he didn’t want to see it—until one morning last winter when he looked in a mirror and didn’t recognize the man staring back. What happened? “I was raised by godly parents who…
Shawnna’s Story
Tragedy, chaos and homelessness followed Shawnna for much of her life. Disappointment and heartache were all too familiar. It didn’t start out that way. “I had the best mom ever,” she says. “Homemade meals, she protected me, every day she said she loved me, she was awesome.” But Shawnna’s self esteem suffered as she…
James’ Story
Last March was the lowest point of James’ life. He had just been released from jail and had nowhere to go. It seemed like no one wanted him around anymore. So he went to the beach to spend the night, only to lose his balance and fall into the frigid water. Though he was…
Armando’s Story
This Christmas Eve, it will be one year since I entered the New Journey program here at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. That first Christmas, everything changed for me. From now on, the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, I will celebrate my own rebirth and new life as a child…
Otis’s Story
Thanksgiving is coming fast. As a chef at the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, the holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year for me, and I’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then. But no matter how busy we get, I always take time to remember just how…
Alesha’s Story
I never thought something like that could happen to me. I never saw it coming. I really didn’t think he was that kind of guy. But he was. About a year and a half ago, I was dating a man. He seemed nice enough. Then one night, he broke into my apartment. He beat…
Rodney’s Story
I spent much of my life caught up in anger, self-pity and bitterness toward a world I thought rejected me. But all along, I was really just a hurt little boy. At a young age, I was taken from my mother and placed in foster care. But no one ever told me why. Why…
Shamika’s Story
“My life was crazy growing up,” says Shamika, who came to Joy House pregnant and feeling lost. “There were nine of us kids. There was no child abuse, but there was stuff going on with my parents, and we got put in foster care when I was 11.” Despite the chaos she experienced at…
Eric’s Story
In a way, Eric wore a mask almost all his life. “I learned pretty early how to talk, act, dress, and look like a good Christian,” he says. “But it was just a mask. And by high school, I had enough. So I rebelled, left God behind, and went looking for a good time.”…
Dakara’s Story
“As a teenager, I was angry, confused, afraid and full of self-doubt,” says Dakara, a 22-year-old single mother with three children at Joy House. “There was no love in my family. You couldn’t call it a home. I didn’t have a father in my life, and I experienced a lot of abuse. There were a…
