“Before coming here, I was confused…now I have a purpose in life.”

When Bubba was a little boy, his mother abandoned him and his father sent him to live with relatives, leaving him feeling rejected and worthless. “I had anger issues, but I hid them,” he says. “Everybody saw me as a good kid.”

In high school, Bubba excelled in football and academics, but outside of school, he began expressing his anger. “I started running the streets with friends, doing bad things.”

When he was 18, Bubba and his friends crashed a stolen car going 120 miles an hour. Miraculously, they walked away without a scratch. “I’d never had a strong relationship with God before, but from that moment on, it grew,” he says.

It was his first offense, so Bubba was given a short jail sentence. But when he was released, he had no place to live. “I was couch surfing or staying on the streets, trying to feed myself,” he says.

It was then when Bubba came to The Landing – our transitional housing for young people facing homelessness – where he found shelter, three meals a day and the support to find and pursue God’s purpose for his life. “They connected me with an internship at the Employment Development Department where I taught people how to make resumes and look for jobs.”

Bubba found fulfillment in the work and realized that his purpose lay in helping others. “Now I’ve decided to study business, develop my leadership and listening skills and start a sports camp for kids like me,” he says. “Meanwhile, I get to stay here for three years. I’m so grateful.”

This Christmas, because of your compassion and God’s love, Bubba’s story has a new beginning. And he’s blessed by the greatest gift he could ever receive – a future filled with joy and meaning. “Before coming here, I was confused, but now I’m focused. I have a purpose in life and I’m motivated to follow through.”