Are you familiar with the game Jenga? It’s a tall tower of blocks where each player attempts to remove one single block without toppling the tower. Of course, eventually the weakened structure crashes. In Robin Paneiro’s small group at the UGM Crisis Shelter, the leader said Jenga was a picture of what had happened to the women’s lives. Rather than building solidly block upon block, holes had been created through abuse and neglect until the structure of their lives simply could not hold. Everything came crashing down. The leader then asked Robin and the other women to draw a picture of what a whole, restored life would look like for them. Robin drew a slightly lopsided heart. She colored outside the lines 
because she wanted to remind herself that it wasn’t about being perfect. A strong vine, representing the presence of Christ in her life, wrapped securely around the heart and flowers were beginning to bloom. Because, Robin said, life can be beautiful again.
2 min read
The 2025 Life Recovery commencees have journeyed through deep valleys of struggle and hardship. Yet, with resilience and grace, they have emerged...
4 min read
Chrystin struggled with alcoholism for sixteen years before entering UGM’s recovery program. “I felt so defeated and was lying in bed, drinking, just...
3 min read
At Union Gospel Mission, we understand that meeting urgent needs—food, shelter, medical care, and job training—is just the beginning. These are the...
Union Gospel Mission : October 1, 2012
CHRIS family breakdown, substance abuse Chris’ mom went to prison when he was three for selling cocaine. His dad hung himself when Chris was eight....
James Bishop : December 1, 2014
"UGM welcomed us, protected us, helped us heal." Tiffany has immense inner strength. At 26 years old, she has faced the worst life has to offer and...
Union Gospel Mission : February 1, 2013
“I believe what drives people to bad behavior, whether it’s addiction or abusive relationships or being abusers, is brokenness of heart. They harden...
