A Hand Up for Her Family
After Patricia became a single mom and the sole provider for her two children, making ends meet became hard to do on her own...
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Ken’s Story of Hope
“No one prepares you for just losing everything you ever worked for. One day I had my family and the next I was living out of a hotel.” The life Ken had built began to fall apart and then he was blindsided by divorce...
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Inspiring HOPE With a Haircut
Though a haircut may seem insignificant to some, it can provide a sense of normalcy and confidence that can make all the difference for those experiencing homelessness and poverty. One guest, Tom, still remembers the first time Donna cut his hair...
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Finding Peace
After a young marriage, a quick divorce, and the loss of a loved one, Krysten went into a spiral of pain and addiction. "I was trying to numb the pain of her being gone, and I just blamed God for taking her away from me." But God hadn't given up on Krysten...
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The Potter’s Hand
As Nina found herself in a battle against addiction and to keep custody of her two children. She struggled to see hope. “I didn’t feel like much of a parent at all. I was just lost.” Amid the pain and confusion that Nina was experiencing, she knew that there had to be something better for her and her family...
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Never Too Late to be Transformed
Alfred’s road to Open Door Mission was unique in many ways. He spent seven years of service in the Air Force before developing an impressive career in IT. But things suddenly began to change for Alfred after his marriage ended, and he found himself in a deep depression...
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Transformed Out of the Cycle
Growing up in a small town, addiction was common among Cristen’s community as a child. Her parents and surrounding family members struggled with drugs and alcohol, it wasn’t long until Cristen continued down a similar path....
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For the Dad who has Everything
After being arrested in 2020, Sarael felt like a lost cause as he sat in a jail cell unsure of what his future held. Eventually he received a call from his lawyer saying that he was recommended for treatment.
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Transformed by Love
Jodie’s story began after uprooting her life and fleeing from an abusive relationship along with her two kids...
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A New Beginning
Ty was raised in South Dakota, and life was difficult even at a young age. When he was only four years old, both of Ty’s parents were in prison...
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A Christmas Blessing
Tessa struggled with alcohol and drug abuse despite growing up with both parents in her household. Being the eldest of 6 children, Tessa said, “I had good parents...”
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A Reason for Change
As Victoria held her new baby girl, she knew that something had to change.
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Out of The Darkness And Into The Light
Bennie was born in Missouri. Although both of his parents were present in the household, they struggled with alcohol abuse, which made for a callous upbringing. After the age of 12, Bennie’s home life worsened...
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Growing through Service
Josh is a student in the New Life Recovery program and has grown to be a reliable volunteer in the kitchen. His story is a testimony to God’s faithfulness in his life on a journey toward recovery...
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The Road to Redemption
Eva grew up in Macy, Nebraska with a fun and loving family. All appeared to be going well for Eva until she tried meth for the first time at the age of 17. This was certainly a turning point in Eva’s life which led to some dark seasons. Eventually the drug …
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Shelter for the Winter Night
Alex describes his upbringing with “lots of love in the house” because of his parents and the family he was a part of during his early years. Raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and a member of the Omaha Indian Tribe, Alex had a seemingly bright future ahead of him. At the …
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Finding Healing this Christmas
Celebrating Christmas at Open Door Mission is one of the greatest gifts that Christina and her granddaughter Ariel will receive this year. Growing up in Sacramento, California, Christina had an exciting childhood with two dedicated parents. Everything seemed to be going well until she was introduced to marijuana in her …
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Lifting the Burden
It was an early morning when Alfred found himself on the Open Door Mission’s front door steps. He had no shirt or shoes on and Alfred knew that if he didn’t get help, he was going to die.
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A Hope When All Seems Lost
It was in late 2019 when Jessica would find herself back in a jail cell. She had gone through this process several times before but this time she would be searching for change.
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Providing Hope
Jaquan was born and raised in Missouri. He grew up in a large family and has always known the love of two hard-working parents. For most of Jaquan’s life, he did not struggle with substance abuse. However, that all changed when he was 21 years old and first started taking the prescription pain killer known …
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Finding Refuge And Strength
"With tears in her eyes, Helen emphasizes all the Lord has done through the Open Door Mission and its staff. She wants those who are giving and donating to the mission to understand that they are contributing so much more than just feeding a person with food."
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Rescued From the Valley
Michael, a current student of the New Life Recovery Program, was raised by two loving parents in the City of Omaha. He describes his mother and father as disciplined, hard-working, and loving. When Michael was just 12 years old, he began following the wrong crowd and was introduced to meth. Michael’s addiction created a barrier …
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Blessed are Those That Persevere
Christina grew up in a single-parent home with three brothers. Her mother worked a lot to provide for them. Being the oldest, many household responsibilities fell on Christina, such as cooking, cleani...
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The Road to Destruction Takes a U-Turn
William grew up in a good home, despite his parents having divorced at an early age. He just got to a point at age 10 where he felt like he didn’t quite fit in. At age 12, he began drinking, and tha...
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Inspired to Lasting Change by Fatherhood
A warm bed, a pair of shoes, and Christmas gifts for his daughter. These gifts Haden freely received inspired hope for lasting change in his life. Growing up, Haden’s family moved a lot due to his f...
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A New Holiday Experience
If you take a trip back to Open Door Mission’s kitchen, you’ll meet Gary Hughes, Hospitality Director. He might be distracted singing, but as soon as he sees you, you’ll receive the warmest welc...
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Making a Difference Because of Lasting Change
Kirk is one of Open Door Mission’s most faithful volunteers, working six-hour shifts at the Garland Thompson Men’s Center front desk two or three times a week. He shows up early and stays late, sp...
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Connecting With God
“If you really want to connect with God,” said Beth, “He’ll do it.” Beth grew up always around alcoholics, and by age 16, she was pregnant with her first child. Since that was the on...
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Focusing on Love
“I try to look forward now and to focus on love,” said DeCarlos. “And I forgive, forgive, forgive.” DeCarlos grew up with separated parents, both in the military, meaning his childhood was ful...
» keep readingFinding My Way Back Home
For a long time, Kimberly wandered from home, physically and spiritually. She grew up in a loving, Christian household with her parents as her Sunday school teachers. But in 2010, she fell into an abu...
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Do You Believe In Miracles?
“Do you believe in miracles?” the doctor asked Daniel. For most of his life, Daniel would have responded, “No.” From a young age, he had been convinced that God had it out for him; a theme tha...
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Hungry for New Life
Erick’s love story has a happy ending. But it did not always seem like it would. Born in Omaha, Erick grew up living with his grandparents, who he looked up to immensely. They raised him with good v...
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Lasting Change This Christmas
This month, Stephanie began Open Door Mission’s WorkNet Program, the final phase of the New Life Recovery Program focused on job-readiness. And she couldn’t be happier. Stephanie grew up in an unh...
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Stay for the Blessings
It was all too much. After trying to get his life together on his own strength, Glen didn’t see what he had to live for. He put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Frus...
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The Gift of a New Me
Casey grew up in central Nebraska and has a father who was an addict. By age nine Casey was an addict too. She launched into a 30-year roller coaster of addictive behaviors, criminal activity, and unh...
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Leaving the Double Life Behind
Dillon’s family life took a 180° turn when his father came home from prison. It’s just that Dillon didn’t make the turn with them. “For the first ten years of my life I was surrounded by drug...
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Family is Worth Fighting For
Lisa talks with passion about the ministry God has given her at Open Door Mission. “What I love about the New Life Recovery Program is that there’s not an unrealistic pressure to get through it. P...
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More Than Just Surviving the Winter
For Rowena, it was quite a journey from a secure job and a warm house to the freezing streets of Omaha. “I spent 2016 down and depressed,” Rowena recalls. “I was using drugs. I lost my job. I lo...
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“God Help Me”
Larry found himself in the back of a patrol car on his way to a holding cell. When he was pulled over, his car was filled with guns and drugs. As the officer ran Larry’s license to confirm who he wa...
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