At Denver Rescue Mission, we see a lot of heartache and hardship. But it is also a place of great healing and redemption. A place where folks who’ve known years of suffering find a fresh start and a new, promising outlook. Folks just like David.
For 20 years, he battled addiction and homelessness. Oftentimes, he slept in tents and fought the bitter cold temperatures of Denver’s coldest nights. But, through the generosity and kindness of strangers, he survived and began to believe things could get better.
Through the generosity and kindness of strangers, he survived and began to believe
things could get better.
“I had a camp in an open field, with no one else around. I didn’t have a heater and the forecast was negative seven degrees for two or three days in a row,” David shares. “Someone showed up a couple times, not even knowing I needed something, and brought me a bottle of propane with a connecter and heater you can attach to it. That was a lifesaver.”
“You want to hug them, but you don’t want to get too close in fear of their reaction,” he adds. “But you have that desire in your heart to say thank you. Just thank you.”
After years of living in desperation, David decided to visit our Lawrence Street Shelter in search of food and help and got a whole lot more. He found encouraging staff and vital resources, but more importantly, he found a new beginning.
Emergency Services Chaplain Jay Earl Krebs loaned David a guitar to play anytime he wanted. It was a simple act, but it meant the world to the newcomer. That trust and responsibility turned out to be a watershed moment for David, convincing him he’d come to the right place—and that he’d never be the same afterward.
“I had a camp in an open field, with no one else around. I didn’t have a heater and the forecast was negative seven degrees for two or three days in a row,” David shares. “Someone showed up a couple times, not even knowing I needed something, and brought me a bottle of propane with a connecter and heater you can attach to it. That was a lifesaver.”
“You want to hug them, but you don’t want to get too close in fear of their reaction,” he adds. “But you have that desire in your heart to say thank you. Just thank you.”
After years of living in desperation, David decided to visit our Lawrence Street Shelter in search of food and help and got a whole lot more. He found encouraging staff and vital resources, but more importantly, he found a new beginning.
Emergency Services Chaplain Jay Earl Krebs loaned David a guitar to play anytime he wanted. It was a simple act, but it meant the world to the newcomer. That trust and responsibility turned out to be a watershed moment for David, convincing him he’d come to the right place—and that he’d never be the same afterward.
“It doesn’t matter what you look like,
what you’re wearing or what you smell like,
he’ll pull you alongside him and he just cares.
He tipped the scale for me
as to whether or not I wanted to seek help.”
“The first person I met at [LSS] is very dear to my heart now and one of my favorite people to play music with: Jay Earl Krebs,” David says. “He was so encouraging. It doesn’t matter what you look like, what you’re wearing or what you smell like, he’ll pull you alongside him and he just cares. He tipped the scale for me as to whether or not I wanted to seek help.”
“The first person I met at [LSS] is very dear to my heart now and one of my favorite people to play music with: Jay Earl Krebs,” David says. “He was so encouraging. It doesn’t matter what you look like, what you’re wearing or what you smell like, he’ll pull you alongside him and he just cares. He tipped the scale for me as to whether or not I wanted to seek help.”
“God is really good at taking
a broken person and making them into
something new and beautiful.”
Since, David has enrolled in the New Life Program, a rehabilitation program for men at The Crossing, where he’s learning about family dynamics which contributed to his battle with addiction. It’s also inspired him to speak with his two eldest daughters. Because of compassionate friends like you, David is seeing what is possible for his future.
“You have the saying, ‘Hope Starts Here,’ but nobody really gets that until they’re neck deep in this program,” he says. “God is really good at taking a broken person and making them into something new and beautiful. That’s what he’s doing with a lot of us guys here—I see a lot of guys changing.”
Since, David has enrolled in the New Life Program, a rehabilitation program for men at The Crossing, where he’s learning about family dynamics which contributed to his battle with addiction. It’s also inspired him to speak with his two eldest daughters. Because of compassionate friends like you, David is seeing what is possible for his future.
“You have the saying, ‘Hope Starts Here,’ but nobody really gets that until they’re neck deep in this program,” he says. “God is really good at taking a broken person and making them into something new and beautiful. That’s what he’s doing with a lot of us guys here—I see a lot of guys changing.”
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