Dec 2008 Red Door Newsletter, Bowery Mission

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RED DOORTHE BOWERY MISSION’S

T r u e s T o r i e s f r o m T h e m i s s i o N : L i v e s c h a N g e d e v e r y d ay s i N c e 1 8 7

Volume 11, Number 7 1-800-BOWER

December 2008 www.bowery

f tn l lk l ctnn — p. 4

Real holiday storiesfrom men and womenat the Mission

INSIDE:

Pl n pl ct t t!

Use the enclosed envelope to let hurting people know they are

not forgotten this Christmas. You are giving hope!

HopE for tHE

HolIDayS

Pn kpt

l— p. 2

Tn b tk l

— p. 3

at nct

e — Twice!

— p. 3

To people who’ve lost all faith, a meal give

in love with a heartfelt holiday greeting is

living proof that God still loves them.

Like you, volunteers discover that joy come

from giving to others.

This can be the loneliest day of the year.

The meals and gifts you provide for a hurting

child may change his or her life forever.

We need your help to brinChristmas to people in ne



T he gift of God’s transforming love comes to those at the Mission every day.At Christmas, the gift seems even sweeter. Thank you for providing the practical help and

spiritual support that help to make these miracles come true.

Teenage boy takes over ashead of household

When Anthony wa ateenager, he tood by a hopital

bed and watched a hi mother died.

He didn’t know he had adrug problem. But he did knowthat if he told authoritie he and

hi two young iter had no parent, they would put them allin foter home.

“After that, Chritma wakinda rough ,” ay Anthony.

He quit chool and took three job to upport hi iter.At Chritma, he would buythem gift, but there wa no oneto buy him gift — or care for him — or teach him how to bea man.

It hurt, but Anthony jutkept telling himelf, “Thi imy duty.” Yet he got angrier

and angrier.By the timehi itermoved awayfrom home,they werenot peakingto each other.

He bounced around from

Christmas at The Bowery Mission

REAL STORIES FROM THE BOWERY MIssION

YOuR gEnEROSITY BRIngS THE gREATEST gIFT OF ALL

Arrested on ChrisEve — TWICE!

“I haven’t had a good Chriince I left home, ” ay John.

When he firt came to New began working a a ecurity gua woman introduced him to dru

After the company Chritmwith hi bonu money in hi powent out back in the alley to bu

drug — and got arreted.He pent Chritma on RikIland.

The next year,the exact ame thinghappened!

After one moretint in jail, he wareleaed at the airportwith no money and no place to go. Atranger gave hima Metrocard. Helept on the train thatnight.

The next morning, he prayeagain for help. He looked up atood a man, who told him howThe Bowery Miion.

John ha been clean for 10now and ha no craving for drugive God hi thank for everyt

Praying church kept him aliveFor Ulye, being on the treet

Chritma wa bad enough. Butnowing hi father wa enjoying

hritma a few block away

— and wouldn’t let him in if heowed up — wa even wore.

lye’ 20-year drug addictiond cot him a lot.

“During Chritma, I would

o from houe to houe withend,” he explain. “I wa on

ack cocaine, but I wa alo inar. Hearing Chritma ong,

ut knowing I wan’t part of it ...

ondering what’ wrong with myfe. It’ horrible.”

Ulye’ mom had four

ildren from four differentther. He wa the product of

adulterou affair. Hi family

way felt like a collection of half lative.

But he ha one iter who ued to take him to church, pray for him

and help him out.“I’d probably be dead if he

hadn’t planted that eed in me,”

Ulye ay. “Her church wa probably praying for me all that

time.” so when Ulye wa finallyready to change hi life, he found

The Bowery Miion — and there,

he found the love of God hi iter had alway told him about.

He’ excited about hi new life,and think thi may be hi bet

Chritma ever.

Hearing Christmas

songs, but knowing

I wasn’t part of it ...wondering what’s wrong

th my life. It’s horrible.”

He

up a

stoo

who

how

The

M

“I’d probably be dead if she hadn’t planted that seed in me,” Ulysse says. “Her church was probably praying for me all that time.”

After his mom died, Anthony figured caring for his sisters was his duty. Yet the more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

one bad relationhip to another — and from one job to another.

Until he came by The BoweryMiion one day for a meal. Today,Anthony i a different peron. He’

been taking job training clae and ha worked on hi anger iue.He’ developed a relationhip withGod that ha brought him peaceand joy. And he’ reconciled withhi iter.

Thi Chritma, he hope to bepending it with them.

You are God’s hands — bringing love,warmth, food and hope to the less fortunate

at Christmas! Thank you.

C hr i s t m a s o n t he

s t r e e t s

C h r i s t m a s

a s a n

o r p ha n

At Christmas,

he would buy

his sisters

gifts, but

there was no

one to buy

him gifts.

C hr i s t m ai n p r i s o n



• Warm clothes

• Interview clothes

• Toiletries

en--t- tx bk!

Don’t forget, charitable donations

made by December 31 count

toward your 2008 income

tax returns. Check with your

accountant for details.

To donate online,visit our website at www.bowery.org

The Bowery Mission is a member of the Christian Herald Association.

227 Bowery, New York, NY 10002Ed Morgan, President

immediaTe Needs

Tnk y!For more information or to donate,

call 1-800-BOWERY-1.

Thank you! Please mail your tax-deductible gift wthis form to The Bowery Mission, Murray Hill StaP.O. Box 2000, New York, NY 10156-1999. QuestionCall us at 1-800-BOWERY-1. To give online, go towww.bowery.org

yes e, bring in every hurting person from the streets this Christmas.

I’ll help give them a hot meal, a warm bed and care with my enclosed gift of:

❑ $20 ❑ $35 ❑ $75 ❑ $100 ❑ $500 ❑ $_______ (other)

It’ har d to imagine, but ther e ar e many men and women in our pr ogr am who, a child r en, never got u p on Chr itma mor ning and r an out to f ind pr eent f or them und er the tr ee.

How d id that af f ect them gr owing u p? How d oe it af f ect the way they treat their own child r en?

One wond er f ul way we ad d r e thoe iue i thr ough our family Chr itma celebr ation.

An amazing, com paionate d onor f amily came to u f our year ago and ak ed if they could thr ow a par ty f or the men and women in our pr ogr am — and their child r en!

We had in mind a im ple little aff air with cook ie. But thi f amily had bigger id ea. They aw Chr itma gif t a ymbol of the gif t God gave u of Hi son, and of the ongoing gif t He give u in our d aily live.

so two week bef or e Chr itma, they ponored a huge par ty.A tr ee, a meal, f ace painting, game, a clown and the r ead ing of the Chr itma tor y. Then ever y child got many nice gif t. The par ent r eceived gif t, too. The child r e

n wer e wid e-eyed and the par ent wer e o gr atef ul to be able to har e a wond er f ul Chr itma with their child r en.

It’ lik e Chr itma mor ning, and nothing f eel lik e love a much a Chr itma mor ning.

Thank to wond er f ul peo ple lik e you, mom, d ad and child r en all get to f eel f amily love and God ’ love in a tangible way.

I ho pe that out of your abund ance of bleing, you will continue to give o other can ex per ience love at Chr itma — per ha p f or the fir t time.

On behalf of our entir e taff , I wih you a Chr itma mor ning f illed with love.

Ed Morgan

F ew t hi n g s f eel l i k e l ov e a s mucha sC hr i st ma smor ni n g

Name ____________________________________________________________________________

Address ___________________________________________________________________________

City ______________________________________________________________________________

State _______________________________________ ZIP __________________________________

E-mail address _____________________________________________________❏ Home ❏ Office

Love, hope and food for Christmas

0812NL

Documents

Dec 2008 Red Door Newsletter, Bowery Mission