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Norman Bell
If you ask him what that something is, you won't hear anything about his will power or tenacity. As a matter of fact, you won't hear Norman talk about himself at all. From the time he was a seven-year-old boy walking down the aisle of his church to receive Jesus as his Lord; to his tour of duty as a point man in Viet Nam; through the highs of marriage, children and success as a research chemist to the lows of divorce and disillusionment; from the hope of a new start in California to the despair of 14 years of homeless living, Norman Bell has remembered two things:
On November 1, with the aid of the Orange County Rescue Mission, Norman moved into an apartment of his own, but when you ask about it, he'll begin to decribe how God orchestrated the opportunities for him to meet people like Ray Green and Greg Esslair of OCRM Veterans Ministry. If you ask him how he likes his new apartment, he'll tell you that, if it weren't for HUD regulations, he'd have all of his homeless friends sleeping on his living room floor.
After 14 years of street living, Norman is still adjusting to “normal” life. The floor is still preferable to his bed and getting used to the idea of budgeting is almost a foreign concept. On his first day in his apartment, it was foggy and he got lost walking to the grocery store. But, all things considered, Norman is adapting well to what he calls his little “paradise” and he's looking forward to returning to the work force when the time is right. If you donate to the Orange County Rescue Mission, this is where your money goes: sharing the love of Jesus Christ by helping to give people like Norman the opportunity to live the life that God intended for them. Thank you for your support! |
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Born in the midst of the Great Depression, a decorated veteran of the Marine Corps, and (until recently) homeless for a period of 14 years, Norman Bell is no stranger to adversity. But there's something inside Norman that just won't say die.