Last week, the OC Register interviewed various Tustin residents about their Thanksgiving memories and our very own Otis Cunningham was asked to share. Otis is a veteran and one of our residents at the newly opened Tustin Veterans Outpost. As you will read in his story below, which is similar for many of our residents, the holidays can bring up not only joyful memories, but painful ones as well.
Here at the Rescue Mission, we are thankful to provide a home to the homeless and hope to the hopeless throughout the holiday season. We strive to be a place of comfort and care for these individuals and families on their journey towards life transformation and self-sufficiency. We are so proud of Otis and thankful to play a part in his restoration story.
Please take a look at his portion of the OC Register story below:
Last Thanksgiving will always stand out in my memory because it was the last one that my family was together as a unit. Right after that, my wife of 33 years left me. I was in between jobs and I could no longer afford rent.
My 30-year-old son and I lived on the street for two weeks. I was too proud to ask for help. Then I swallowed my pride and applied to live at the Rescue Mission. My son and I moved in a week before Christmas. It was a godsend, and gave me a chance to think about what I needed to do next.
Things got even better when I moved to the Veterans Outpost, which was not yet open in December. There’s a lot of camaraderie here. I served in the military for 20 years, from 1981 to 2001. This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for God allowing me to have a place to live until I can get my life back together.
Please click here to read the full article.
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