"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8

I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with Vince, a past resident I worked with in our residential program, at the Gateway Woods 40th reunion. I can remember Vince being a vibrant kid, but didn't have a strong family unit. We always appreciated his upbeat attitude even when his life was upside down.

As we were catching up, I felt the need to ask him how life is going now that he is on the outside looking in. He mentioned that his life is going well, but he would rather still be at Gateway Woods than in Foster Care.

If it wasn't for you guys, I would probably be lying in a casket somewhere.

After a little while, I asked him what were some of the things he learned while he was a resident at Gateway. He looked at me and he said, "Where do I start? I learned how to respect others and see that everyone has value, including myself. I was part of a functioning family here at Gateway and I miss it a lot! I will never be the same person as I was when I first walked into the doors of Gateway. If it wasn't for you guys, I would probably be lying in a casket somewhere."

Those words rang loudly in my ears. I am so thankful that it is because of Jesus that we do what we do here at Gateway Woods. If you would like to help partner with us or find out more information on how you can help us reach more people like Vince visit our volunteer page.