Stories of Gospel Renewal from Hope for New York Clients

Clients from Hope for New York affiliate organizations shared stories of Gospel restoration and hope at nine Redeemer services over Palm Sunday and Easter. We praise God for the work He is doing through Hope for New York’s affiliate organizations, and we are so grateful to those in our church who gave generously and sacrificially to this work through the Easter Sacrificial Offering. A few of the Hope for New York stories are excerpted below.

God worked on me from the inside out! I began to understand God’s love for me: that I didn’t have to live a perfectly righteous life, but I could accept the righteousness that He offered in Christ. My changed life didn’t happen overnight. But He started to replace the bitterness with love, the fear with peace, and the desperation with hope.
– Debra, Former Client (and now staff), Brooklyn Teen Challenge

One day, someone called the shelter where I was staying and told me to get in touch with my family. He said the family was planning my funeral. The police had found someone dead of a drug overdose in the Bronx—a Hispanic male, 40-45 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall. The guy had my ID in his pocket. The body had decomposed. Since my family had not heard from me in months, they thought it was me. They thought I was dead. That was a wake-up call. I felt like God was sending me a message: “That could have been you. You are not exempt from consequences. But you have a chance at something better.”
– Domingo, Client, Bowery Mission

I’ve heard people say that life really begins when you turn 50. Well, I can genuinely say that’s true because, after spending 22 years struggling with a life-controlling addiction to crack cocaine, God has given me another shot at a new life! And how incredible is the timing? Today is Easter—the day that we celebrate God’s triumph of life over death in the resurrection of His son Jesus Christ! I really can appreciate this because I’ve experienced Jesus’ victory in my own life.
– John, Client, The Relief Bus

When I walked through the doors of the Women’s Center home, I felt freedom for first time in a long time. Through the program at the Bowery Mission Women’s Center, Christ has been changing me. I have had my guard up for most of my life, but I am learning how to be secure in Christ, and now I’m learning to open up to others. I have always lacked focus and the ability to complete things, and today I’m learning self-discipline. I want my life to be a blessing by sharing Christ with others. I am learning that God has a bigger purpose for my life than I ever realized. I feel hopeful about what God is doing in my life and what He has in store for me!
– Eunice, Client, The Bowery Mission Women’s Center

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Articles in this Issue

		John Stott and Caring for God’s Creation John Elwood
		Called to Carry One Another’s Burdens Kris Jacob
		Youth Leaders in Space David Plant
		The Marriage Seminar: A Personal Reaction Min Kim
		Loving Christ: What’s Race Got To Do With It? Pamela Brown-Peterside