Meet Sylvester - A Story of Stolen Identity & Healing     

Real life can be stranger than fiction, and Sylvester Shaver's is one that could not be made up.

With money in his pocket and bank account, Sylvester was traveling by bus from Texas to Colorado Springs. A previous trucking accident had left him with arthritis in his back and shoulder making driving commercial vehicles painful.

Between here and Kansas City his wallet including all of his identification and bank cards were stolen. He had nothing. No way to pay for a bus ticket back or a hotel room.

Arriving in Lincoln, he was taken to the police station to report the theft, but there was nothing more to be done and nowhere else to go. The officers brought him to the emergency shelter here at the Mission.

"You don't understand it until you've been here. I felt hopeless and abandoned," Sylvester said. "But I never stopped trying. Someone else can't do it for me."

The next few weeks he worked to get a copy of his birth certificate from Arkansas so that he could replace the rest of his identification and access his money in his bank accounts. He applied and moved into the Curtis Center here at the Mission as well.

The Curtis Center is the men's transitional housing at the Mission. The men who apply and are admitted to the program are committed to changing their lives and getting back on their feet. They have their own rooms that they rent for a small amount of money. While there they learn life skills and rehab for whatever issues that might have brought them into homelessness.

With a new address here at the Mission, Sylvester had to retake the CDL test. He passed the 130-150 question test, but there was still the issue of being able to drive pain free due to the arthritis.

Rich Gervais and David Lewis, two of the men's shelter supervisors, prayed for Sylvester's healing. God healed him completely; there is no more pain in his back and shoulders. He is still looking for a driving job, but when he finds one he know he will be free of pain, because of healing in a place he didn't expect to be.

Within the last couple months, Sylvester Shaver has faced situations that no one imagines that they'll be in, but he has a positive attitude about it. He commented, "I have a different perspective now. I want to help more [homeless issue] now that I see what they go through." It's also made him see the good in other people, "they do care. God sends people at the time we need them the most."

Cornhusker Bank & "One Day Without Shoes"    

Next Tuesday, April 5th, Cornhusker Bank will partner with us to participate in the national event "One Day Without Shoes." The bank is encouraging employees to go without shoes on April 5th to raise awareness for the need for shoes at home and abroad.

"One Day Without Shoes" was started by Tom's Shoes. Tom's is an online shoe store, which exists to give shoes to children in 3rd world countries by using the idea of "One for One." When someone purchases a pair of shoes through Tom's website another pair is given to a child in another country..

Through April 9th, you can donate money or bring shoes that you no longer need to any Cornhusker Bank. For every dollar that is donated, the bank will match it. The money will be used to purchase shoes through Tom's shoes and other companies to give to our kids here at the Mission. And because of Tom's Shoes "One for One" kids overseas will also receive shoes. 

Learn more about the event at Cornhusker Bank's Facebook page and on Tom's Shoes website. 

Updates at the Mission

Amazing Grace College Food & Clothing Drive only a few Short Weeks Away!