Changed Lives

Virginia came to Crossroads after multiple auto accidents left her unable to work.  Therapies, surgeries and Doctor visits quickly took her savings, and she found herself homeless.  “I may have wound up on the streets, and I may well have been dead by this time.  So I can’t thank Crossroads enough for being the blessing that I needed!”, shares Virginia.  She continues, “If you need them, they are here!  If you’re willing to do the program, it works!”  As she makes plans for her future, Virginia knows that Crossroads will walk with her every step of the way!

Since my last interview, my family has continued to grow as we welcomed our daughter Nora Jean in June 2019.

I have also made the transition to working back at Crossroads. I am currently the Development Director and the thing I love most about working at Crossroads is they deeply care about my me and mental health. They help in any way they can, which includes time off to stay on top of my mental health.

Since leaving the Mission, staying clean has probably been the easiest part while staying on top of my mental well being has been the most trying. It helps to work for a Christian organization which helps people with the same struggles as myself.  It makes coming to work not only a joy but also has a real positive impact on my mental health.

Even though my stay at the Mission was well over 10 years ago, the lessons that I learned while there continue to impact not only my own life, but also the lives of my family, and anyone I come across. I am much more aware and sympathetic to people struggling because I have struggles.  Being around the people at the mission make me open to share about my personal struggles and not feel judged.

Without  Crossroads in my life, I definitely think my life would look a lot different.  But God had a plan when he put Crossroads in my path and I have been blessed with a beautiful wife, two beautiful children, and lots loving friends and family.

After an argument with his ex-girlfriend got out of control, Spencer hit rock bottom when he landed in jail, but it was somehow exactly where he needed to be.

It was during his time in jail that he heard about Crossroads Mission Avenue. He wasn’t sure about it at first, but he quickly learned that it was the right place for him.

He entered the program and was making good progress, but then he met someone new and decided to move in with her. That’s when he says he felt the Holy Spirit and knew he wasn’t ready to be on his own. So he made the life-changing decision to return to Crossroads, worried he’d fall back into the old habits.

Surrounded by caring people and the mental and spiritual support he needed, Spencer is now working hard to improve his life. He’s even gaining job skills by working security and answering phones at Crossroads.

“If it weren’t for Crossroads, I’d be in a world of trouble,” Spencer says. “I’m doing good now.”

Your support is behind the care and guidance Spencer found at Crossroads Mission Avenue. Thank you for helping him choose the path to renewed life!

When Debra’s husband died very suddenly at just 49 years old, he had no life insurance. She exhausted nearly all of their savings paying for his funeral and her income wasn’t enough to pay the mortgage and all the bills.

After struggling for a few years, she decided to move to Nebraska, where her daughter was just starting a family of her own. Debra moved in to help with the baby, but after a few months she needed a place of her own and heard about a room for rent through a friend of hers.

Debra developed a relationship with the man who owned the home, but it wasn’t long before she realized what a dangerous man he was.

He dominated and controlled her, isolating her from friends and family, destroying her driver’s license and making her a prisoner in her own home. “The bruises wouldn’t heal before he’d hit me again,” Debra remembers.

Debra finally escaped one night when the man went out for a drink, and thankfully she found her way to Crossroads Mission Avenue. “I felt at home here for the first time maybe in my whole life. They’re my family. We’ve got an amazing community here and we have everything we need. I’m so thankful,” Debra says. “If it weren’t for the donors, none of this would be possible. This place and the people here – they saved my life.”

I grew up in a family that used drugs and alcohol. That’s all I really knew. My family rarely talked about God. I’d used drugs and alcohol since I was 14 years old and I was dependent upon it somewhere around the age of 20.

My addiction has put me in the hospital several times. I’ve spent 2 solid years homeless at the age of 26. Ever since then, I’ve bounced in and out of treatment centers and never been able to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I came to Hastings to try to find a fresh start and something new. I found Crossroads.

Crossroads has taken a different approach to deal with my addictions and sin nature. They’re teaching me now to think different, be responsible and change old habits. But most important, they’re helping me gain a connection with Jesus Christ. Truthfully, I haven’t been this happy in a long time. For the first time in a very long time, I have hope again, and a joy that no drug can replace.

Deborah had always felt accomplished. After all, she’d raised two fine children in Hastings. And as a fully degreed accountant, she’d enjoyed a successful career for over 30 years. But everything changed in an instant when Deborah suffered a stroke and subsequently lost her job and home.

Having also lost her voice from the stroke, Deborah was placed in a nursing home, where she underwent intensive voice therapy for several months. When she finally completed her treatment, she came to Crossroads Mission Avenue because she could no longer afford a place of her own.

Through the support of friends like you, Deborah was welcomed with safe shelter and nutritious meals. But just as important to her is the emotional support and community she’s found. “Here, I have a sense of purpose,” she says. “I am a viable person.”

Looking to pour her energy into something, Deborah was thrilled for the opportunity to help out in our Thrift Store. And our staff helped her plug into a government program that pays her for the hours she works.

With her Thrift Store job and social security income, Deborah was recently able to move into her own apartment a few blocks away. She continues to work at the Mission Avenue Thrift store, which she loves and takes great pride in. And she is eternally grateful for the love and support she’s received, amid her unique circumstances.

“That’s what Crossroads is all about,” Deborah says. “All walks of life… different walks of life… and we’ve all got a story.”

https://soundcloud.com/mybridgeradio/god-at-work-crossroads-bev

 https://soundcloud.com/mybridgeradio/god-at-work-crossroads-alena

Danny spent a lot of time in his ’84 Dodge pickup truck.  He loved that truck, and practically lived in it.  And he almost died in it – twice.

He slept in the truck once when temperatures hit a record 30-below zero – more than cold enough to kill a man – and yet he somehow survived.

Another time, he had a massive heart attack in the truck, an attack so severe he turned blue and stopped breathing several times.

By divine providence, Danny just happened to be right outside Crossroads Mission Avenue when his heart failed.  Someone saw him slumped forward over the steering wheel, ran inside and yelled, “Call 9-1-1!”

Daniel Buller, the executive director at the Mission, ran outside, round Danny lying on the ground and started CPR….and kept it up till the ambulance arrived.  Paramedics told Buller that he had certainly saved Danny’s life.

Danny, who had a long battle with intermittent homelessness and has been in and out of Crossroads for years, was grateful for the Mission’s unconditional love and support despite his ongoing struggles.

After every setback, he kept returning to Crossroads, “because I think there’s some reason I’m supposed to be here,” he said.  “I feel God has something more for me, and it’s here at Crossroads.”

Danny was saving his money to someday buy a trailer and drive across America.

“But,” he said with a laugh, “I think maybe I ought to get a newer truck.”

In the spring of 2021, we received the sad news that Danny had passed away.  We continue to share his story to honor his life and to encourage others.