A pile of old blankets on the cold, hard sidewalk that serves as a bed . . . a garbage can filled with discarded leftovers that will soon be dinner . . . a plastic shopping bag that carries one threadbare change of clothes . . .

If you’re thinking I can’t imagine living like that . . . or How do people survive with so little? . . . then you understand the suffering of those, like Keisha, who once called the streets home, bearing burdens no one should have to endure.

At 39, Keisha—a student of our New Life Discipleship Program—is determined to break the cycle of drug abuse and poverty that, until now, has shaped her life. Keisha was only 2 when her mother, an addict, abandoned her, and her aunt, an addict too, took her in. Keisha endured her aunt’s abusive behavior—unbearable at times—for 10 of the most vulnerable years of her life. At 13, she was sent to a girls’ home. At 17, she was on her own.

Her life at that point patterned the example set by her mother and her aunt. She began drinking alcohol and smoking pot and crack cocaine. She worked on and off, but could never hold a job because of her substance abuse. She had two sons who were taken from her because she couldn’t care for them. “It was the only life I’d ever seen or known,” she says.

Eventually, Keisha lost her apartment and had nowhere to go but the streets. After several years of struggling to survive, she’d had enough. She longed for a meaningful and purposeful life.

“I was tired of living the way I was living . . . I was tired of being homeless. I was lonely, hurting and hungry when I came to the Women’s Shelter at Bridgeport Rescue Mission. When I walked through the doors, I felt at peace, immediately.”

By God’s grace, you and I know the blessings of having a safe and comfortable place to sleep . . . a closet of clean clothing . . . and cupboards filled with food. Because we don’t have to worry about these life essentials on a daily basis, we can concentrate on using the talents and skills given to us to raise our families . . . build careers that enrich our community . . . spread God’s transforming love . . . and fulfill His heavenly purpose.

But imagine the amazing potential that’s lost as homeless and desperate people, yes, right here in Fairfield County, simply struggle to survive—never coming to know the Lord or the miracles He can make of their lives.

Right now, as you’re reading this in the comfort of your home or office, consider the needs of men and women right here in Fairfield County who aren’t nearly as fortunate. Because you care enough to share your blessings, they’ll no longer be forced to call the streets home.