Gateway Mission Minute Newsletter

Catie grew up in a home where violence was sadly common. Her father struggled with bipolar disorder, and when her mother remarried, there was no reprieve.

Sadly, their neighbors were no help either as they falsely blamed problems in the apartment complex on Catie and her mother. In the summer of 2021, with the pandemic still affecting families and the economy, they found themselves kicked out and in need. Catie shared that when she hit rock bottom,

“I just broke. I had never pictured myself at that point. My family and I had always struggled with money, but I had never thought we would be at the point of actually being homeless.”

But now she confidently testifies “that God works in mysterious ways.” Her pastor at the time used to coach one of the Gateway team members back in the day, so even though she had seen so many poor relationships in her youth, she felt comfortable enough to join the Gateway Mission program. When she arrived, everything changed. “My very first night here, as soon as the door closed on my room, my emotions just went, ‘Whoosh,’ and I felt safe,” she confided. Since beginning Gateway’s Thrive program, Catie experienced healing from past traumas through counseling and support groups, and even stopped having seizures—which had plagued her since childhood—without the aid of medications. She credits the healthy eating and life-style she has developed in the program.