14 Jun Meet Bob
Thank you for loving your neighbor, Bob,
and giving him hope for the future!
“I lost everything in a month… I just didn’t care.”
Bob was content. Happy. He lived in Casper and had the job he thought he would retire from. But when he met and fell in love with a woman in Florida, Bob couldn’t help but follow his heart. He found a job there and relocated with hope for the future.
Unfortunately, Bob’s dream didn’t last long. His new employer closed its doors, and the woman who promised to love him forever left him for another man. When Bob moved back to Casper, he was emotionally and financially devastated. On top of that, the aunt who raised him passed away, and nothing seemed to make sense anymore.
“I lost everything in a month – my job, my financial security and my family. I just didn’t care, and I turned to alcohol to cope,” he says.
At rock bottom, Bob checked into a hotel. There, he saw a post about a community helpline, which is how he heard about Wyoming Rescue Mission. Bob used his last few dollars to pay for the cab that dropped him off at our steps with only a duffel bag of possessions.
“When I was 5 years old, my mom would send me to the laundromat to wash our dirty clothes. I’d have to wait until someone else arrived to help me, because I couldn’t reach the slot to put the money in,” Bob explains. “Then, 50 years later, there I was at the bottom of Wyoming Rescue Mission’s stairs with that duffel bag of dirty clothes – so emotionally broken that I still couldn’t do my own laundry. I needed help.”
“I didn’t realize how much I needed Jesus.”
Bob’s first few days at our ministry were a range of emotions: shame, uncertainty and gratitude. Through our Discipleship Program, he started to heal, and he found a new purpose for his life. After graduating, Bob joined our staff in the thrift store. Then, a few years later, he left WRM to become Building Manager of Highland Park Community Church – a position he still holds to this day.
“Wyoming Rescue Mission showed me that I didn’t want to be a part-time Christian. I started looking for volunteer opportunities to live out my faith at church. That’s how I found the job I have now,” he explains.
In addition to working at his local church, Bob also now faithfully serves WRM as Chairman of our Board of Directors, where his leadership is proving to be invaluable.
“Wyoming Rescue Mission transforms lives,” Bob says. “It makes a difference, because it’s always here. WRM’s doors are open 24/7.”
Bob is thankful for the way you have answered God’s calling to love your neighbor as yourself – and have helped him embrace God’s plan for his life. “WRM gives people the chance to change their lives, but it’s more than that too. It’s about long-term recovery and employment for their future.”
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