Note from Bobby, a thankful guy at KCRM!

I would like to let everyone know that the things I have learned at KCRM through the Christian Community of Recovery program, Alcoholics Victorious and God’s people have proved to be true, day after day after day!  Everything God has said is slowly starting to unfold for me. I just had to stick with the path I have chosen, which is to follow God and not myself.

I am receiving 10-fold for anything I put back in.

As of two weeks ago, my family members have slowly started contacting me. First one, then another and even another one, as of today.  These are people who have been burned by me for 45 years, that I never had any hope of ever being in contact with again. People who have seen the very worst of me. People who have seen my many futile attempts at sobriety, which have always failed.

Bobby, left, with his friend and CCOR grad Fred.

Come on ! 3 in 2 weeks ! God is wonderful !!!

I still haven’t gotten my sister and my daughter back, but after this, I see anything is possible. My faith is in God, to restore those relationships as well.

Praise the LORD !

Thanks to all here that have helped me along this path and to my new freedom from the past !
–
Bobby Sessom
Kansas City Rescue Mission.

Homeless at 63

Dee Dee is homeless again. My friend of 30 years has hoarded her way out of her landlord’s good graces again, and is on the street. Thankfully, several people are trying to find her a new place to live, but in the meantime she’s chalked up a few nights on KC’s streets.

Dee Dee is fearless — almost. Last week as she sat outside the gate of a shelter at 2:30 in the morning, she was accosted by four men who went through her bags, and threatened her. “I was scared,” she told me, as she choked down the Chinese food we were sharing together.

I love Dee Dee, and I want her to be safe and well. But I’ve learned in our years together, she’s going to do it her way. So those of us who love her, pray for her and hope her NEXT apartment will be ”home” a little longer this time.

One Man’s Dilemma

Jason has been staying at KCRM for almost three months. In that time, he has worked hard to get a steady job doing what he’s very good at — making gourmet pizza. He’s working as a temp in a pizza shop in the KC Crossroads District, hoping they’ll soon offer him a permanent job.  But with KCRM’s beds filling up fast every night, he often can’t get a bed here when he gets off work. Our shelter manager allows Jason to hang his work clothes  in the dayroom, where he hopes they’ll stay clean and won’t get stolen. He visits our case manager daily, goes to chapel, eats a hot dinner in our dining hall and gets encouragement from our chaplains … but must leave at night to stay in another shelter. This is just one scenario we see play out daily now as the number of homeless men increases.

So our staff has to make tough decisions about who to shelter, how to make two case managers and one nurse miraculously meet dozens of needs presented each day.  Our kitchen churns out 250 hot (and truly delicious) meals each day … they want to do more — in fact there are definitely more men and women in line along the sidewalk — but the dining hall just isn’t big enough to hold everyone and there’s a limit to how many people our limited staff can handle.

Jason’s story is true and his struggle is real.  But we could tell you a dozen more if you had the time.  And I guess our staff faces a dilemma, too, now that I’ve reread this blog.  What we need are resources and prayer … and if someone could work a miracle … a few more hours in the day!