The prospect of entering a new year is exciting for many of our residents. A new year means a fresh start, and a fresh start means things can be different this time. Philippians 3:13 says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

For many of our residents, this new year brings a fresh start, and I want you to hear them in their own words, commenting on the new year.

“For 2026, I would like to continue my walk with God here at Pacific Garden Mission in the New Life Program. I also need a lot more sobriety time under my belt before I go back to the community. I feel like this is my last shot to get myself together, so I need to do this the right way.”

Another writes, “I want to be able to show my kids the goodness of God . . . to have the family I always wanted. I came to Pacific Garden Mission to find a place to lay my body down to rest, [I was] homeless, drug addicted, [suffering from] mental illness. [I want] to finish the whole program and find or go back to my home church.”

Another resident writes, “To keep God’s Word in my life and not to let the worldly things overtake my goals.”

On behalf of all our residents at Pacific Garden Mission, I would like to express our gratitude for your love, prayers, and support over the past year. By the grace of God, your support has kept the doors open and the lights burning bright for the multitudes of men, women, and children seeking refuge during a time of crisis in their lives.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 KJV