 Rob: From Drug Addiction & Alcoholism to Serving God & Others
Rob came from a good Christian home. In his youth he was an
athletic standout and a good student. When his family moved when Rob was 8, he struggled
with being the new kid, the outsider. He responded by
getting
angry and started drinking at 14. He knew it was wrong. Eventually he walked away from God. He continued to be an excellent student and athlete, winning awards and scholarships in track. By the time he was in college he was an alcoholic. After dropping out of college Rob joined the Army, went overseas and became addicted to drugs. One weekend, while on a hiking trip, he had a hallucination of his own death. This was a defining moment for him, but not enough to make him change.
In the years that followed Rob married, had a daughter, owned a home and had a good job and influence. Eventually he lost it all to alcohol and came to the
realization he really had "died" the night of his hallucination. He saw the
mess that
he had made of his life and believed that it would never get better.
By 2008. after years of drugs and alcohol, destroyed relationships, and a total of 6
years in prison, Rob lost his job for failing a drug test and became homeless.
So what did the good kid from a good family do, he came to the Mission. He was given a bed, food and chores.
Rob knew what he had been doing wasn't working. He had known God as a child, but no longer had a relationship with Him. He asked God to let him know if He had a plan for
him. Soon he was invited to church by one of our staff. In church that day he felt a real sense of family, not formality.
The message was on God's challenge to Gideon and Gideon's challenge back to
God. Rob learned that regardless
of what God asks us to do, he doesn't ask us to do it alone. He needed to break
the cycle of what his life had been. He knew he had a big ego & lots of
pride, but he also knew he had to rely on God. He is inspired by Matthew 6:28
where God talks about the lilies of the field. God will meet our needs if we are
faithful. That's where Rob is at today. Rob volunteers at the Mission doing construction and says, "This place has to be here so that someone else can use it. I know people
who have died because they couldn't control their using. They didn't find a
safe place to land. I found one in 2008." While going through intensive outpatient drug
& alcohol treatment, he always knew he had a place to sleep, food to eat, and
someone who would listen to his problems and share his pursuit of constant contact
with God. As a graduate of our Curtis Center program, he is part of our
family. The Mission was a home he could come to while rebuilding his life. He has reunited with his daughter, his granddaughter, and has made amends with family. "My goal is to serve God &
anyone around me. I know from my history that someone like me can change." |
What does it mean to be a revolutionary? It is taking the creativity and the resources that we have and using them in a way that really makes a difference in the lives of others.
Here at the Mission, we feel we are being called to effect change. To organize people. To encourage those with good intentions to act on them.
We think it's time for a change; a time for people, groups, churches, everyone, to get up and make a difference in their community; for those who want to come together and make that change, to be revolutionaries and share ideas and inspire others to be revolutionaries.
Do you want a REVOLUTION?
Do YOU want to be a revolutionary?
Go to www.doyouwantarevolution.org to share what you, your group or church is being called to do to make a difference in your community! |
Registration deadline: MAY 5
Join us May 15th as local community members will walk together as one city for one cause.
We are looking for a hardy bunch of dedicated souls to participate
in the 2nd Annual Run for the Homeless. Participants will collect money
for their pledge to run or walk the non-competitive 5K route around
Haymarket Park and down the Salt Creek Levee Trail or 1 mile fun walk
inside Saltdogs Stadium.
Proceeds from the Run for the Homeless will benefit the People's City
Mission who provide services to over 23,000 people in need annually.
Will you run or walk with us? We need you! For more information and to register, click here or go to peoplescitymission.org and click on the Run for the Homeless button. You can also email lmcclung@peoplescitymission.org or contact Lisa McClung at 402-817-0958
Hope to see you there! |
 Meet the Staff & Volunteers of PCM:
Elaine Croston
Elaine is a retired teacher who lost her husband several years ago. She has been volunteering at the People's City Mission for well over a year, every week on Thursdays and Fridays. She drives in from Humboldt Thursday morning and stays over night Thursday night with her daughter in Syracuse and drives back to Humboldt at the end of of her day Friday. She begins at 9:30 both days and rarely leaves before 5:00. She helps open the mail, totals donations, and enters donor data into our system.
She also works with men from the Men's Shelter and the Curtis Center program providing GED training, resume writing training and she teaches reading one-on-one as well as pitches in with any cleaning, organizing and other duties she is asked to do. The classes and one-on-one tutoring she provides to the Mission guests are invaluable to the process of obtaining marketable skills needed to get hired and become independent. These men provide many challenges for her yet she is undeterred by them. She has the patience of a saint, remains calm, encouraging and focused on the task at hand. As of this month, Elaine will have provided 1,000 hours of service to the mission.
She is reliable, trustworthy and more importantly the Mission guests she interacts with respect her, admire her, listen to her, and are eager to learn from her. She has a genuine and caring heart that shines through whenever she works with staff or guests.
Elaine was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year at the 2010 Impact Awards. Nebraska's First Lady, Sally Ganem, honored Elaine at an awards luncheon that took place on Friday, April 9, 2010
If you would like to learn more about this award, please click on this link: http://www.serve.nebraska.gov/awards/awards_impact.htm .
Thank you, Elaine, for your selfless service to PCM. You are SO appreciated!
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