Kimi’s Story
“They gave me the hope of Jesus... the strength I needed.”
Kimi shares how your support gives her hope.
Kimi’s childhood was marked by abuse and trauma. “It definitely had an effect on the way that I viewed myself and the course that my life took,” she says. “I tried to tell myself that I’m stronger because I survived it. But the damage left scars.”
In early adolescence, she escaped the abusive situation but started down a path that spiraled out of control. “I thought the drugs were the answer to relieving all the pain. I spent 50 years out there as an addict, never thinking that there was any other way, never believing that I could ever change.”
Kimi was living on the streets and became very ill. Thankfully, someone told her about Union Gospel Mission of Salem. “I had given up, but I just didn’t want to spend another cold night on the street. They gave me a bed. They saved my life.”
“They gave me the hope of Jesus and that’s the strength I needed to break 50 years of addiction.”
Through treatment for her addiction, therapy, and with the grace of God, she’s in a place she never thought she’d be. It hasn’t been an easy road, but surrounded by a supportive and compassionate community at the Mission, Kimi has hope for her future.
“It’s taken me a year to feel confident that I will be able to stay clean,” she says. “Hope isn’t really anything that you can feel or touch. It’s not tangible, but it changed my life.”
Your gifts are bearing fruit in the lives of people like Kimi. Now, her heart is full of hope this fall... thanks to your kindness! “Before I came to the Mission, I thought of myself as disposable. Now I know that I have value.”