City Mission Resident Returns Home for the Holidays

City Mission started a new initiative this holiday season to reach out to the community by serving hot, home-cooked meals to people, outside their walls,who might not otherwise get a good meal for the holidays.  This year, they served Thanksgiving dinners to the community at two, off-site locations: Arc Human Services and Thomas Campbell Apartments, both in Washington.   

“It was hard work, but it paid off big time,” said Dave G, a current City Mission resident who volunteered to serve at both locations.  “It was worth it all to see the smiles on their faces.”

During that time, Dave continued to work at the restaurant where his mother had been the manager.  He started out busing tables and washing dishes but quickly worked his way up the ranks and eventually became head chef.  “I was very young to be running the kitchen,” he said. It was a stressful and demanding job with long hours. 

Dave, who has been living at the Mission for a little over a year, is always looking for ways to give back.  He acts as a mentor for the other residents and volunteers to help around the Mission, doing whatever is needed.   So, it was natural for Jason Johnson, City Mission’s Director of Operations, to ask Dave for help coordinating the off-site meal serving.  “I’m always happy to help anyone in whatever way I can,” Dave said.

But Dave also had another reason for volunteering at Arc Human Services.  His aunt works there.  “I hadn’t spoken to my aunt in over three years,” he explained.  “When Jason asked me to help him serve at Arc, that really got my wheels turning.  I had been wanting to touch base with her fora while, but I was afraid of how she would respond.” 

When Dave was in high school, his mother died of cancer.  She was only 43 years old.  “I was raised single-handedly by my Mom,” he said.  “She was my best friend.”  Losing her was devastating.  “After that, moving in with my aunt was my single best option.  I lived with her for five or six years, into my early twenties.”

Unfortunately, Dave’s health started to slowly deteriorate.  He began having severe pain, stiffness, and loss of motion in his neck and back, caused by a degenerative calcification of the spine.  Eventually, he had to start taking pain medication to keep up with the demands of his work.  “That really got my addiction rolling,” he said.  “It’s painful.  Every day is a struggle.”  As his health continued to decline, he needed more and more medication just to function.  

His addiction caused a strain on his relationship with his aunt, and he decided to move out on his own.  They eventually fell out of touch.

“My anxiety was through the roof that day we were going to serve at Arc.  I didn’t know how she was going to respond when she saw me.  But here at the Mission, I’ve learned, as it says in 1 Peter 5:7, to ‘cast all my anxieties upon the Lord.’” 

Dave arrived at Arc Human Services knowing that he could be face to face with his estranged aunt at any moment.  As he was setting up for the meal with the other volunteers, she walked in.  Their eyes met across the room, and they both started to cry.  They ran to meet each other and fell into an embrace. “It was pretty emotional.  We were both crying.  Everybody was crying.  It was like the weight of the world had come off my shoulders.  I was afraid I had burned that bridge forever.”

Dave’s aunt invited him to dinner later that week so they could catch up.  “She was living in fear for me all this time, thinking that she might see my name in the obituaries any day.”  Dave and his aunt now talk on the phone every morning.

After his reunion with his aunt, Dave had the privilege to serve the people that she serves every day.  “It was a blessing to be able to serve them,” he said.  “It was so rewarding to put a smile on their face and to show them that there are people who care.”

“In the past, I would lie to my aunt and tell her I was OK even when I wasn’t,” he said.  “To be able to be completely open and honest with her now is amazing.”