Dear Friends,
Where is your safe place? As threats storm into our lives like this pandemic, uncertainty in our society, or the coming harsh winter weather, sometimes the only thing that brings some relief is the ability to close a door to the looming problems and sink into our favorite chair or slide between the sheets of our bed for rest. Imagine having no doors to close out the larger world, no favorite chair for comfort, or no bed of your own for rest. How much more grim would it be to navigate the difficulties of your life?
Stories like the one you’ll read about make me so grateful to work at Fort Collins Rescue Mission (FCRM), where the combined efforts of great staff like Desiree and an incredibly resilient guest like Michael work to create a safe place. As Desiree says, it is more than just a safe place. Poverty can simply be a financial situation, but it can also intersect with relational poverty, spiritual poverty and occupational poverty. Michael’s story testifies to what can happen with your donations: vulnerable people have a safe place to rest; the lost are found; the weak become strong; the exiled find a place to belong.
We know that ultimately our safe place—our home—is in Christ, and we will use every tool, resource and service we have at the Mission to bring that peace and love to those we serve. Sometimes that’s a smile and a meal, and other times, it’s connection to a home, career or community. I am so grateful for your support so that we can remain firm in our calling to be the hands and feet of Christ to those on the margins, in the shadows and on the streets of Fort Collins. Thank you for your generosity and kindness.
God Bless!
Seth Forwood
Senior Director of Fort Collins Rescue Mission
This post is a part of December’s Changing Lives Newsletter. In this edition, A Home for the Holidays, you’ll learn about how your gifts are helping people like Michael find hope and self-sufficiency.
