Tamera’s journey to the Mission was nothing short of miraculous.

When her ongoing health struggles with neuropathy and heart failure got so bad she couldn’t work anymore, Tamera found herself suddenly homeless. “I literally got kicked out of my place,” she says.

That’s when her miracle happened. “I have two suitcases on the side of the road, and this lady appeared out of nowhere,” Tamera recalls. “She was walking in front of me as I’m walking down the sidewalk carrying my luggage, and she stopped and turned around and asked me where I was going, and I started crying. I said, ‘I don’t know, I’ve never been homeless before. I was just evicted.’ She says, ‘Well, let me help you. Let me get you over to the Mission. It’s the best place you can go.’”

When Tamera arrived, she was overwhelmed, but quickly found the warm welcome she needed. “I was still crying because I’d literally been evicted for three hours, but everybody was so nice,” she recalls. “The person who met me didn’t treat me like I was less than a person.”

At first, Tamera felt guilty and embarrassed, and tried to hide her new situation. “I didn’t want anybody to know I was homeless,” she says. “I changed my phone number and erased myself off Facebook, because I didn’t want anybody to feel like they had to take care of me.”

But “taking care” is exactly what friends like you allow us to do for neighbors like Tamera when life takes a sudden and unexpected turn. Your compassion, plus a touch of divine intervention, has given Tamera hope. “I asked God every day, ‘Why? What are you doing to help me? Can you direct me in the right way?’ I felt so alone until that day that I became homeless. It’s like it was meant to be. I’m always going to believe that God intervened that day. I’ve had faith ever since because of it.”

Now, with faith in her heart and your support fully behind her, Tamera has a new lease on life. “Thanks to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission, I’m getting the medical attention I need, which is wonderful,” she says. “I have a chance to live. Without them, I don’t think I would be here much longer.”

Thank you for giving neighbors like Tamera a new chance to live and helping them find hope!