“The Mission Gave Me A Chance”
Buffalo City Mission
“Homelessness has been a part of my story for a long time,” Wendell admits.
Wendell was just three years old when his mother moved the family in with her abusive boyfriend. “He was a predator, and I was a victim of his abuse,” Wendell says. “My mother left him when I was twelve, but the damage was already done.” He seemed fine for a while, serving honorably in the Navy, marrying, and providing well for his family.
But, little by little, Wendell’s unprocessed pain came to the surface, triggering self-destructive behavior. He sabotaged his relationships and began drifting from place to place. “Something inside kept telling me, ‘It’s time to move on,’” he says. “I became chronically homeless, and my mental health started to decline.” Eventually, Wendell was diagnosed with PTSD and sought treatment, but he always fell back into self-sabotage and homelessness. “I’d do all right for a while, then drive into an emotional ditch and pray a foxhole prayer, ‘Oh, God, if you just help me this time…’” He wanted to break the pattern. Once his mental health started suffering though, he knew he needed to make a plan to get some help.
Wendell dreaded coming to the Buffalo City Mission at first, but as soon as he stepped foot in the new facility, he realized it wasn’t the same place he remembered. Wendell admits his biggest challenge is keeping a positive mindset. Fortunately, “I discovered that they have resources within the Mission that would help me address that problem.” Not only that, but Wendell is now part of the Transitional Housing Program, has his own apartment on our third floor with its own kitchen, and is enrolled in classes that are teaching him how to strategize his goals for the future. Through Christian guidance and life skill classes, Wendell has found healing for his childhood trauma and learned to seek God’s will in all things. “I’m more aware of my thoughts and emotions and I don’t do things on a whim,” he says. “Now I make a plan, and through prayer, I make sure it lines up with God’s purpose for my life.”
Wendell is grateful to be at the Buffalo City Mission. “Before I came to the Mission, I was broken in spirit… I had no idea where I wanted to go or how I was gonna get there.” He adds, “Since I got here, I feel a sense of purpose, a sense of direction; I’ve made a plan.”
Wendell is looking forward to finding a job, getting his own place, and eventually starting a ministry for the homeless, helping them find the hope in Christ that he found here at the Buffalo City Mission. He told us that he wants everyone to know that the Mission provides people like him a sense of acceptance and promise. “I’m thankful to the Mission because it saved me… I’m thankful that it’s given me another chance to have a real life at 60 years old.”
The Buffalo City Mission exists to restore hope and dignity to the hurting and homeless through the transforming grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
