The Victory Center Rescue Mission
Sowing Fruits of the Spirit into our Community!
JOY - Ron’s Story
When meeting Ron for the first time, one can not help but feel that the scripture “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” (Isaiah 55: 12 a) must have been specially chosen by God for this man, for the smile on his face emulates the joy radiating from deep in his heart.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Ron to hear how the Victory Center Rescue Mission has impacted his life. Ron shared with me that he came to the Victory Center Men’s Shelter with “devious thoughts and to do devilish deeds” but instead on a cold winter’s evening in 2020 after a Wednesday night’s church service he found himself on “changed course of life!”
As he put it, “I found myself completely changed: lining up to become more Christ like, learning to be more kind, caring and open to people, less judging and all because of the Victory Center.”
This tall and slender African-American man whose smile shines with the love of Christ is proud of the accomplishments and opportunities that Victory Center has afforded. Opportunities such as managing the kitchen at the Men’s Shelter for the Victory Center, working at the Lumber Kings Stadium as head of maintenance, and being a Team Leader at the Men’s Shelter. “Setting an example for those around me….It’s important to me!”
Ron shared that while his greatest passion is Jesus, cooking comes in a close second, one of his favorite things is “to see the smile on a person’s face when they eat something good!”
I truly believe that the reason Ron loves to see the smiles on a person's face is because joy is something that he connects so easily with and as scripture says “The joy of the lord is my strength!”
When our discussion turned to the future, that big bright smile quickly overtook his face and Ron was eager to tell me his good news. He has made the decision to go back to college to pursue his Bachelors in Business and Administration at the American InterContinental University and had just finished his registration.
Ron’s hope is to manage and run a high end restaurant someday. He stated clearly, “Victory Center has helped me grow and changed the course of my life!”
In a world so bombarded with bad news and negativity, Ron's joy is refreshing not because his joy is based on his circumstances or worldly possession but instead his joy is deeply rooted in Christ and shared with those around him through his kind words and actions! Bene Brown said it best when she said, “A joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, inspiration and faith.”
Life changing stories like Ron's are made possible because of the amazing support of our donors! Help us as we continue to sow into our community!