Union Mission: Unfiltered

I get humbled a lot. I'm not sure what that says about me (or maybe it's just that I'm afraid of what that says about me!) but it seems as if God is always providing me with subtle reminders of who I am, what I have...and how often I take it all for granted.

It happened again last week, when I met Robert Brooks. Robert is in culinary school just outside of St. Louis. He just arrived there, in fact. His instructors, classmates and new friends out there might not know it to look at him, but Robert's life story is one of tragedy and triumph, of the cruelty of humanity and the redemption of God. Ever since I met Robert, I can't get him out of my mind. It's the blessing--and, sometimes, curse--of working with those in need.

This, in a nutshell, is Robert's story:



Quick sidebar: I am currently in the process of compiling the Union Mission Annual Report. If you're not familiar with it, ours comes as a fiscal year calendar, running from July to June. Each month we spotlight someone--with a ministry, an outreach site or those we've helped--and tell their story. (Click here to download a PDF of last year's Annual Report).

This is one of the best parts of my job here. I have the privilege of meeting these people and spending some time getting to know them while they tell me how God changed their life through Union Mission.

I would like to introduce you to a new side project. I'm calling it Union Mission: Unfiltered. While visiting these folks, I've been bringing along a video camera and just catching some candid moments. You just watched a few moments of my conversation with Robert.

Unfiltered is exactly like it sounds. It is The Mission's beneficiaries, in their own words, uncensored and unfiltered. Oh, I'm adding some titles to it to help tell their story. But the videos are without any lighting, sound equipment or professional production. It's our people's stories. The stories are real. The stories are raw. And they are stories that speak to the life-changing impact that God is having on the lives of people in our community through the work of Union Mission.

It is our hope that through these stories you'll join with us in prayer for those whose lives are forever changed by God's work at Union Mission. We hope you'll visit with us here and take a tour of our facilities. You are always welcome to do so. Perhaps that will stir you to volunteer your time and a little bit of your treasure so that we can all, together, help people like Robert find the peace they so richly deserve.