Heather had tissues in hand as she stepped up to receive her certificate, completion pin, and red lanyard, signifying that she has taken another significant step toward self-sufficiency. The single mother is part of a group of six homeless adults graduating from the “Road to Success” job readiness workshop. You may remember Heather from the story I shared back in April. For her, this day in July is truly something special – and she ended up needing the tissues.

“This workshop brought out things in me that made me confident,” Heather said as she stood in front of Rescue Mission staff, her peers in the workshop, and volunteers. “I knew that it [the confidence] was in me. But I didn’t know how. The workshop taught me how to articulate what it was in me that I have to bring to the table.”

Having true, deep-down confidence in yourself is a skill few interviewing candidates can claim. Heather and the workshop graduates are now among those few, thanks to an intensive week of study, prayer, and friendship.

“I learned how to back up my statements,” Heather continued. “I learned really how to present me. I didn’t know really how to present ‘me’ before. I just came in like ‘hey, what’s happening?’ Now, I have words to put behind it.”

Each graduate spoke about the new confidence they felt and the love they experienced in the workshop. For the past five days, these men and women have prepared for their job searches. Despite the variations of their backgrounds and life experiences, they found family in that refining fire.

For Tim, one of our graduates from the Double R Ranch, it will be his first time job searching for a job with a high school level education. He graduated, along with 13 other homeless adults, with his high school diploma/equivalency in June 2017.

For Brandon, who helps in our warehouse, it’s a first chance to use ‘green light statements’ to make a positive lasting impression during an interview.

Each new skill, each expression of confidence, brings these graduates closer to the person God intended them to be. Praise God for rescuing them from hopelessness, and I hope you will join me in praying for their success as they lean into the challenge of a job hunt.

Thank you for joining us in celebrating this milestone in their programs and for all your support along the way.

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