A God-Sized Challenge

Growing up with an alcoholic father, Shawn followed his familiar path. “Drinking was like second nature to me,” he says, “and it consumed 10 years of my life.”

When Shawn’s father passed away, his own addictions only escalated. His mother came to him in tears. “She begged me not to end up like my father,” he remembers.

Shawn lived with his mother, caring for her when she became seriously ill. When she passed away, he moved in with his brother… until one night he was asked to move out.

“I left at three o’clock in the morning with two bags full of clothes,” Shawn says. “I fell asleep on Keystone Avenue and someone called the police, thinking I was dead.”

When the officers approached him, Shawn asked them to take him to a shelter. “I’m convinced God was speaking through me, because I wasn’t even thinking of that before,” he says.

When he first arrived at Wheeler Mission, Shawn says, “I wanted nothing to do with God.” But one night, sitting in chapel, he heard a voice say, “listen.”

“What the pastor said pierced my heart,” he explains. “I couldn’t stop drinking on my own will, but when I surrendered to the Lord, He helped me.”

Shawn joined our Foundations program, grateful for time to focus on rebuilding his relationship with the Lord while also building life skills. “God has blessed me with brothers in Christ here who pour into us and help us rebuild our lives,” he says. “We were all broken at one point, but the Lord is putting us back together.”

Now in our Equip Program, Shawn is active in his church as a deacon, preparing for a future career in ministry and taking steps to reconnect with his family.

Because of your generous support, men like Shawn are facing their challenges and being transformed by God’s love here at the Mission. “Wheeler Mission proves that homeless isn’t hopeless. The Mission is a place of refuge where you can get your life back on track.”