Can you imagine what it would feel like to lose your mom at 14 years old to a terrifying car accident?

So just 6 weeks later, when Dec. 25 came, how could he not be in tears on that first Christmas morning without her?

That’s why it hurt so much when his dad said, “Get over it. It’s just your mom. Be a man.”

For years before, he had lived through unthinkable terror at home. Police calls to their house were common, even on Christmas. One parent or another were hauled off to jail on more than one holiday. The flash of red lights in the living room often came not from a Christmas tree, but from the squad car parked ominously outside.

That’s no way to live, but that was Chris’ life for many years.

Through it all, his mom was the anchor of the family. She made sure the kids spent time with extended family most Christmases so they could enjoy music, good food, presents, and “peace on earth” for a little while. With her gone, now what?

So that first Christmas morning, “I thought my dad was going to harm me bad,” Chris remembers. “I ran into the cold and snow wearing nothing but a t-shirt, shorts, and socks to escape.”

For the next two hours, Chris shivered at a local park until his brother found him and said it was safe to come home. That night, he told him, “Christmas without mom will never be the same again!”

“My life has changed!”

Years of foster care, unrest, drug use, unhealthy relationships, and difficulty holding down jobs followed.

But all that is behind him now, thanks to people like you.

Desperate to find healing, Chris came to the Mission. “I joined the Discipleship program,” he says. “The guys here have become my new family, my brothers. We look after each other. If anyone would hurt one of them, watch out.”

Here, he got a second chance. The education and job training program helped him refresh his job skills, and he even earned his driver’s permit with their help. Now he works in a job he loves at a local business.

Chris got the best gift he could have ever received. People like YOU gave it to him.

And now, Chris looks forward to spending holidays with family and friends. “My past is behind me and my self-confidence is back, thanks to the Mission,” he says. “My life has changed!”

 Your gifts this holiday season keep giving—in the healed lives of men, women, and children.

Your gifts at the holiday season change lives. Thank you!

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