“40 Years in the Wilderness” Sheila grew up in a home marked by divorce and insecurity. “That really damaged my heart,” she says. Throughout her childhood, she longed for a stable family – one that gathered around the table, laughed together, shared stories, and encouraged one another. Instead, she wandered down a dark and lonely path. Although separated by divorce, Sheila’s parents did their best to provide for their children. They worked multiple jobs – at all hours of the day – to make ends meet. Sheila’s older brother took her under his wing, making sure she was fed and combing her hair

“Beauty in Brokenness” For much of her life, Linda carried deep wounds beneath a strong exterior. Family pain and unaddressed emotional trauma from childhood pushed her toward addiction and dangerous choices. But when she came to City Rescue Mission, Linda discovered something she had never fully known before – that brokenness isn’t the end of her story. Linda’s childhood was shaped by both closeness and confusion. She grew up alongside

“Walking in the Light”  Stanley grew up in a close-knit Christian family. In addition to church activities, he spent his boyhood fishing, hunting, camping and farming on the land surrounding his peaceful rural home.   “It was a beautiful childhood,” he says. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”  But sadly, something was missing.    As the sixth of 11 children, Stanley often felt invisible and overlooked, especially by his mother. The unresolved wound quietly shaped how he saw himself.   He excelled at sports – football, baseball, basketball, track and wrestling.