The atmosphere in the hotel room grew darker with each passing minute. Sherry had spent seven horrible days holed up in a hotel. “I had been getting high the entire week,” Sherry admits.
“I had run out of hope. And I was absolutely miserable.” Triggering that weeklong high was when Sherry’s mother, her biggest supporter, told her not to come home or call again. Sherry reveals, “My rock bottom was when my mom told me I couldn’t come back.”
Sherry reflects on the moments that led up to her mom’s rejection: “Growing up, my dad was an alcoholic. Whenever he came home, he was drunk.” But Sherry’s mother was her stability. “My mom was fantastic. She worked swing shift to be home when I woke up for school.”
Nevertheless, Sherry began rebelling as a teen. At 16, she got pregnant. Then was married at 19. However, Sherry’s husband shared a startling resemblance to her dad.
“My husband was an alcoholic. And he was extremely abusive.” To withstand the physical and emotional abuse, Sherry found that drugs offered a temporary solace.
“At 22, I moved to Seattle fleeing domestic violence. But that’s when my addiction became very bad.” In the greater Seattle area, Sherry struggled to provide for herself. “I just had a high school education, so I became a stripper. And that was extremely hard on me.”
The next 20 years of Sherry’s life were a blur of survival where drugs were a constant way of coping. During that season, Sherry experienced homelessness. “I slept in the woods. I was on the streets. I got arrested just so I could get some comfort indoors. I was miserable.”
When Sherry arrived at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, she finally surrendered her efforts to figure out life on her own. She needed something different. She needed hope.
“What I really loved about the Mission is that I learned how to set boundaries, and speak up for myself. I used to be scared of success, but now I believe in myself.”
Today, Sherry’s walking a different path. It’s a path where she’s not alone. She’s connected to others and has restored relationships. “I’m so grateful to the Mission. They were there to walk beside me and help me.
Now, I go to church regularly. And God is the center of my life.” Instead of leaning on drugs to calm her stressors, Sherry’s learned to lean on the Lord whenever addiction attempts to draw her in. “I depend on God for everything. I listen to His still, quiet voice in each moment.”
When Sherry was lost, thank you for helping her find a path to hope and healing. Your gift of Christmas season meals and care will help make miracles happen in more lives like hers.
As we head into the holiday season, my heart feels drawn to reflect on the Christmas story. I wonder if Mary, the mother of Jesus, is someone that people who arrive at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission can relate to. Mary was a young woman who didn’t have much in terms of material possessions. She was humble and meek. But Mary was willing to be used by the Lord. In the Gospel of Luke, we read Mary’s heartfelt words glorifying God: Throughout the centuries, Mary’s words still ring true.
Today, God is lifting up the humble and filling those who hunger with good things. So often our homeless neighbors feel on the fringes of society. They feel overlooked, ignored, and humbled by the difficulty of their circumstances. But your support is lifting them up. You’re restoring their dignity. You’re providing people who hunger with good meals and offering them the possibility of life change through God’s love. In many ways, this is nothing short of a miracle for those who feel lost and without hope.
This Christmas, miracles are still possible for our neighbors who need a path to new life. Thank you for sharing this hopeful message with others in our city.
-Scott Chin, President, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission
You can help make miracles happen — Every $2.80 you give provides a meal, care, and hope
Christmas is the season of miracles. And miracles are what are needed across our city more than ever. Many of our homeless neighbors feel lost, broken, and battered by the storms of life.
But today, hope can be found. Your gift of meals and care can reach our neighbors with life-changing hope. Every meal and care costs $2.80 — and will help make a miracle happen in a life. Your gift of meals and care can bring healing, family restoration, and even salvation in Jesus Christ. This really is the “good news of great joy” the angels proclaimed that first Christmas night. Thank you for helping make special Christmas season miracles happen.
