Jamie looks out over the river bank where she used to live before coming to Hope Ministries.

Jamie’s Testimony
Hope Ministries:  Open for Hope—365 Days a Year!

The stress of being homeless doesn’t end at 5 p.m.  You can’t set aside your worries at bedtime and pick them up in the morning.  Homelessness is a constant pressure from which there is no relief, squeezing every ounce of hope from its victims.

 “I was alone on the Raccoon River, homeless and living in a tent, drinking and using drugs.  I’d become so helpless.  It was either take my life or get help,” says 35-year-old Jamie, now a resident of our Hope Family Center.

Jamie started using methamphetamines at 14, looking to escape the heartache in her life.
“My real mom was an alcoholic and very abusive.  I just wanted love from her.  I did everything to get attention.  She used to beat me so bad.  One of her friends molested me and my little sister and brother,” she recalls, the memories still painful.

Her addiction escalated after high school and the results were tragic:  Abusive relationships.  Broken marriages.  Bouts of incarceration and homelessness.  Suicide attempts.  Separation from her three children.  She tried several drug treatment programs.  “I wanted help and would ask for help, but I could never make it stick.”

Finally, when homelessness and drug abuse had taken its toll—when she was physically, emotionally and spiritually drained—she decided to change her life.  “I made a choice that I was done with drugs and I wanted to get help.”  God led her to our Hope Family Center.

The needs of the homeless, hungry, addicted and abused don’t follow a nine-to-five schedule.  So we don’t either.  In fact, we never close.  We’re open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to offer a constant source of help and hope to people like Jamie. 

The homeless, oppressed and impoverished of central Iowa have relied on Hope Ministries since 1915, and we can’t let them down now.  Because their needs are constant,
our donated income must be, too.
           
With your support and the help of many other dedicated friends, we’ll continue to provide a safe and home-like shelter environment for homeless men, women and mothers with children . . . recovery programs for those battling life’s challenges . . . food for people who are hungry for both physical and spiritual nourishment . . . and resources that allow struggling families and individuals to regain and maintain their independence.

Your gift today—and your ongoing generosity—helps Hope Ministries remain open for hope, all day, every day.  On behalf of those whose burdens are lifted by your compassion, God bless you.

PLEASE DONATE HERE