Stories From Skid Row

Jessica Sutherland, one of the mentors from our Mondays at the Mission teen lifeskills program, gives her story of homelessness and why that pushed her to help those in similar situations! 

Direct download: 10.29.14_Jessica_Sutherland.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:45pm PDT

Norris was a professional Greyhound driver for 10 years - until his problem with drugs and alcohol derailed his marriage. Now one of the major drivers of the Mission, he recounts his story on how he got a second chance at URM! 

Direct download: 10.07.14_Morris.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:04am PDT

Drinking from an early age, Steve was sent on a destructive spiral after the death of his grandfather. After his passing, Steve lost a lot of who he was - but he was slowly able to rebuild his life here at the Mission!

Direct download: 06.01.13_Steve_Martinez_and_Chaplain_Rodney_Tanaka.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:28pm PDT

Peter is one of the Youth Coordinators at the Mission! Not only is he a wonderful father of his two beautiful daughters, but he also fills that role for many of the children who come through the Mission. Listen to his story of redemption and transformation!

Direct download: 06.03.14_Peter_Coward_URM_Employee_Youth_Coordinator.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:24pm PDT

James Han entered the Mission needing and wanting hope. Hope for something different, and he found it in relationship - with God, with his Chaplain, and especially his family. Hear his triumphant story of reconciliation and restoration! 

Direct download: 04.15.14_James_Han.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:51pm PDT

Brandie has been a case manager for the past few years and prior to coming to Union Rescue Mission she felt like she wasn't growing - professionally and spiritually. She came to the Mission where she realized her goal to not just put people into housing as quickly as possible, but to set them up to succeed in the long run! 

Direct download: 09.03.13_Brandie_and_Denise.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:31pm PDT

Union Rescue Mission is able to do its life-saving work because of all of our faithful donors - and Christine is one of our point people who builds and maintains those relationships! In this episode, she shares her story on why she decided to work for the Mission! 

Direct download: 08.26.14_Christine_Calderon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:32am PDT

Next Step Ministries has been involved with the work here at Union Rescue Mission for the past few years - and they are passionate about creating long-term partnerships with every mission field they are involved in. Ashley has been their representative here at the Mission and she shares her testimony and her experiences on Skid Row!

Direct download: 07.22.14_Ashley_Tamling_-_Next_Step_Ministry.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:59pm PDT

A mainstay in the Mission's kitchen, Ruthie has been faithfully serving URM for the past few years. After losing her family - save her newborn - in a fire, she turned to a life of drugs and the streets. As she entered our doors, she saw our tagline "The Way Home", and she knew this was a place where she would rebuild her life.  

Direct download: 08.06.14_Ruthie.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:48am PDT

Chef Darren Evans is known to be a man of prayer. At every moment, he praises the Lord for the little things in life as well as the big things - and when he was offered the position at URM to be a cook he couldn't believe that he could minister and cook at the same time! 

Direct download: 08.12.14_Darren_Evans.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:19pm PDT

After years of planning, the URM Thrift Store is finally open in Covina! Listen to Troy and Jeri, who among others have both worked tirelessly to get this store up and running. 

URM Thrift Store
280 E. Arrow Highway
Covina, CA 

Direct download: 09.16.14_Troy_and_Jeri_-_Thrift_Store.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:13pm PDT

Angel's first experience with Union Rescue Mission was when he dropped off some money for his father who had been in our program. He never came in, but would view the building from the outside.

While he was working as a Bail Bondsman, he was also living a double life selling drugs. In 2013 he would finally enter into the doors of the Mission, not knowing what God would have in store for him...

Direct download: 07.16.14_Angel_Munoz__URM_CLDP_Grad.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:35pm PDT

James Ward and his family struggled with homelessness for years before landing at Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, where he met Jessica Sutherland in 2012, and asked her for mentorship.

Through this partnership, James kept his grades up and was admitted to Howard University, where he just completed his freshman year as a physics major!

Direct download: 07.02.14_James_Ward_and_Jessica_Sutherland.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 4:39pm PDT

Aaron Valencia, custom car builder, founded Lost Angels Children's Project in response to the rise of child poverty in Los Angles. No stranger to homelessness himself, he wanted to help in his own special way - by rebuilding a 1931 Ford Roadster and raffling it off on August 30th, 2014!  

All proceeds will be donated to support homeless children at Union Rescue Mission and Grace Resource Center!

Direct download: 08.13.14_Aaron_Valencia_-_Roadster_Raffle.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:59pm PDT

Sherrell and her children came to the Mission after a series of unfortunate and stressful events. With her son James being 17 years old, URM was the only place in Los Angeles where they could've come without breaking up the family.

Direct download: 07.01.14_James_and_Sherrell.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:51am PDT

Christopher Kai started our teen lifeskills class "Mondays at the Mission" over 3 years ago! Every Monday he and a group of dedicated volunteers offer up their time to inspire our kids to dream big dreams!

Direct download: 07.20.13_Chris_K_and_Sharee_H.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:00am PDT

Part 2 of URM CEO Andy Bales' interview with Jeff Lilley, the president of Seattle's Union Gospel Mission. 

Direct download: 03.19.14_Jeff_Lilley_pt_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:35pm PDT

On this week's podcast URM CEO Andy Bales gets a chance to interview Jeff Lilley, the president of Seattle's Union Gospel Mission. Check out part 2 next week!

Direct download: 03.18.14_Jeff_Lilley_pt_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:34pm PDT

Here's Part 2 of Emmethia's story!

Emmethia grew up in foster care - abused, beaten, and broken hearted. She tried running away, sleeping on the streets, until they finally moved her into a family that truly loved her. She tells her story on how she came to LA to help her daughter reach her dreams of entering into the entertainment industry. 

Direct download: 03.12.14_Emmethia_and_Kaleyah_with_Matthew_Bennett.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:46am PDT

Emmethia grew up in foster care - abused, beaten, and broken hearted. She tried running away, sleeping on the streets, until they finally moved her into a family that truly loved her. She tells her story on how she came to LA to help her daughter reach her dreams of entering into the entertainment industry. 

Direct download: 01.14.14_Emmethia_-_URM_mom_with_child_actress.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:28am PDT

Part 2 of our interview with John Ashmen, the President of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions!

Direct download: 02.19.14_John_Ashmen_Part_2.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:25am PDT

John Ashmen, the President of the Association of Gospel Rescue Missions, shares how he came to faith through the ministry of his parents and how that propelled him into a lifelong passion for ministry himself! Tune in next week for Part 2 of our interview!

Direct download: 02.18.14_John_Ashmen_Part_1.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:01am PDT

URM's Chairman of the Board David Dow has been involved as a board member since 1999! Earlier in his life, while he was working for CBS News, David saw much misery and poverty as he traveled throughout Middle and South America. These experiences greatly shaped his desire to help the broken people of Skid Row. 

Direct download: 12.04.13_David_Dow.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:06am PDT

Elder Dennis Bullock of West Angeles Church of God in Christ gives us his testimony of his earlier life of addiction and how God pulled him out of his downward spiral of destruction!

Direct download: 10.25.13_Elder_Dennis_Bullock_-_West_Angeles.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:17am PDT

Betty Porto, Owner and Vice President of Porto's Bakery, swings by to chat with URM CEO Andy Bales to talk about the partnership the bakery has with the Mission!

Direct download: 08.06.13_Betty_Porto.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:55pm PDT

Mike McIntyre joined the Mission as an IT employee just to get by during seminary. When he was asked to serve as a chaplain he promptly refused. But God had other plans... 

Direct download: 04.13.13_Chaplain_McIntyre_and_Ben_Condit.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:26am PDT

Frank Sontag, radio host at 99.5 KKLA, delivered his testimony to all of our March 2014 Men's program graduates. His very personal story was filled with brokenness which led to his reconcilation with the Lord. 

Direct download: 03.11.14_Frank_Sontag_at_URM_CLDP_Graduation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:33am PDT

Alejandro, one of our youngest graduates at the Mission, tells us his story on how he came from Mexico to the Streets of Skid Row. 

Direct download: 01.22.14_Alejandro_Baca_-_URM_Apprentice.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29am PDT

Jeri Little, Director of Social Enterprise at the Mission, shares his story on how he went from businessman in Orange County to be an unpaid missionary in the country of Romania.

Hear his story about how his obedience to the Lord led him to work on the streets of skid row.  

Direct download: 04.27.13_Jeri_Little_and_Norris_C.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:46pm PDT

Since 1993, School on Wheels has helped homeless children throughout Southern California by providing education and other academic activities!

On Skid Row, they pick up the children from Union Rescue Mission and the other missions to work one-on-one with their volunteers to ensure academic stability!  

Direct download: 06.22.13_School_on_Wheels.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:39pm PDT

Greg Brown, a hospitality care center case manager at the Mission, helps the guests who come off the streets by preparing them to enter into our CLDP program. 

He shares about the loss of his mother, which led him down a path of disastrous decisions before God lifted him back up... 

Direct download: 02.11.14_Greg_Brown.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:26am PDT

Alex Cornejo, the Volunteer Manager of Union Rescue Mission, shares his story on how he himself came through our program to get clean from his old life! That was almost a decade ago and now he pours out his life to help others on Skid Row. 

Direct download: 12.10.13_Alex_Cornejo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

Enrique bounced from drug recovery program to drug recovery program until God grabbed a hold of his life! hear his story on how he turned his life around and became a coordinator in our Men's Christian Life Discipleship Program!

Direct download: 01.05.13_Enrique_and_Ken.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:08pm PDT

Kristolyn Lloyd, who stars in "The Bold and the Beautiful", shares how her missions work in asia led to her role as "Dayzee Leigh", a woman experiencing homelessness on Skid Row.

Direct download: 12.11.13_Krystalyn_from_Bold_and_The_Beautiful_FINAL.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:46pm PDT

After his mother died when he was 16, Jeremiah turned his back on god and left his family behind to join the Crips. 

Hear how he left his life of crime and how he became URM's Church Relations Manager!

Direct download: 11.03.12_Jeremiah_Johnson_and_Alex_Monsibaez.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:20pm PDT

UCLA Nursing has been operating at Union Rescue Mission for over 30 years! Hear how they have been mending hurting people on Skid Row from Dr. Mary Marfisee.

Direct download: 07.27.13_Dr._Mary_and_Antonio_Vera.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:24pm PDT

Alan's road to recovery started at Alcoholics Anonymous and concluded at Union Rescue Mission. Hear his story on how he became vital to the Mission's mail system!

Direct download: 05.25.13_Alan_Reed.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:19pm PDT

Chaplain Marvin Enriquez left his position as a minister of a local church to love on and encourage the hurting men that walk through Union Rescue Mission. 

Direct download: 05.18.13_Chaplain_Marvin_Enriquez_and_Michael_Baer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:15pm PDT

Scott Minerd, the CIO of Guggenheim Partners, is a beloved friend of the Mission and is also scheduled to be the featured speaker at the 41st annual Mayor's Prayer's Breakfast! Listen to hear about his passion to see Christ change people's lives in Los Angeles. 

Direct download: 12.17.13_Scott_Minerd.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:14pm PDT

When Kenneth was in high school, he struggled with homelessness and had the odds stacked up against him. Now he's a junior at Loyola Marymount University and is on his way to make a difference in this world! 

Direct download: 05.11.13_Kenneth_Chancey.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:11pm PDT

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