Welcome to . . .

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor

Welcome to . . .

Union Gospel Mission of Grays Harbor

“My dad had a heart attack and died. He was there for a few days before we found him,” Colleen shares. “I was devastated. I started using meth the next day.”

Colleen was 21 years old at the time. She says the meth took away the grief, so she continued to use. That was 27 years ago.

She was a functioning addict for years. She could hold down a job and was married for a time, but Colleen was desperately unhappy. Eventually, she found herself in legal trouble. While sitting in a jail cell, she finally decided to make a change.

Colleen found herself at Friendship House, our 38-bed shelter for women and children. She was baptized about a year later. Now, she goes to church every Sunday and has realized how much she needs God in her life. She says she owes much
of her transformation to Ms. Paula, the Shelter Director.

. . . . . . . . . . .

“I WAS ANGRY. MS. PAULA SAID, ‘I’M GOING TO LOVE YOU THROUGH THIS.’
AND SHE HAS, NO MATTER WHAT.”

. . . . . . . . . . .

Now, Colleen is the assistant manager of Friendship House. She isn’t sure about her plans for the future, but she wants to keep helping others and giving back to her community. She’s also been able to reconnect with her family who didn’t want to be around her during the decades she spent using drugs.

“The Mission has brought me to God and given me a better sense of direction in my life. It taught me life skills. It’s making me responsible,” she says.

Your generous support has filled Colleen’s life with love, encouragement, and most of all, hope this Easter season.

“If the Friendship House had not been here, I’d probably be back on the streets and struggling with drug use,” she says. “Now, I love myself. I have my self-esteem back.”

As we celebrate the joy of Easter morning, we must also remember the pain and sorrow of Calvary. The agony Jesus faced and the fear His friends and followers felt when they thought all hope was lost.

Many of the people who come through our doors also feel like all hope is lost. They look back on their lives and feel nothing but brokenness… regret… shame.

But this Easter, they can experience the heart-pounding joy and love that comes through new life in Christ! Your support helps us share that message of hope all year long, but most especially during the miraculous Easter season.

The Bible tells us, “And God is able to bless you abundantly…” (2 Cor. 9:8 NIV). Through your gifts to the Mission, you pass on those blessings to those who come through our doors!

Thanks to caring friends like you, this Easter will be a time of rejoicing for those who have found abundant life in the arms of our Risen Savior… and a time to welcome anyone in need of everlasting hope.

I pray that you, too, will be filled with blessings and peace this Easter!

Gary Rowell
Executive Director