Victoria’s life was falling apart when hunger brought her to our doors. She was hoping for a little food. Instead, she received total life transformation …
“I was three days away from losing my home,” Victoria remembers. “Three days from the sheriff coming and locking me out.”
The anxiety of this grim reality loomed over Victoria the first time she walked into Phoenix Rescue Mission’s Hope for Hunger Food Bank. Back then, she didn’t think anything could be done about her home. She only hoped for some groceries. Her children and grandchildren also lived with her, and the adults had been skipping meals to ensure the kids ate.
Thanks to your generous support Victoria did indeed receive food — and a whole lot more. As she explained her desperate situation to Sarita, one of the Mission’s case managers, it became clear we could help her in other ways, too. Victoria was absolutely stunned when she learned from Sarita that assistance was available for her overdue HOA fees and taxes so she wouldn’t be evicted.
The stress that had been overwhelming her began melting away, and hope returned to her heart. She was overcome by a peace she hadn’t felt in … well, forever.
As Sarita explained to Victoria that God loved her and gave His son to save her, she decided to embrace God’s forgiveness. “I know the Lord sent me to the Mission that day,” Victoria says. “Like the hand of Jesus, the Mission reached out to me. And they taught me what grace was and showed me mercy.”
The Clouds Lifted
That day, Victoria’s life began to change in big and small ways. It wasn’t just that she received food and help that eased her hunger and financial struggles. Her soul began to be restored. In the weeks and months that followed, she continued visiting us, receiving help and growing in Christ. “I surrendered to Jesus at Phoenix Rescue Mission that day, and now Jesus is reigning on the throne in my heart,” Victoria says.
“I’ve been in mourning all of my life, but God has replaced it with joy.”
This is the kind of impact you are having on individuals and families across the Valley through your compassionate support. You’re not only meeting physical needs but are opening the door for lives to be changed from the inside out.
Victoria is deeply grateful for the help you’ve given her, and for the difference you’ve made in her life. “The Mission has done so much for me, for my soul,” she says. “I’m just a different person. I’ve been through a lot, but now I feel like a diamond in the rough, a treasure out of darkness.”
