Testimony of the Bynum Family

Dennis: For the past 20 years, I wasn’t around my family very much, but since coming to the Durham Rescue Mission two years ago, my relationship with my family has been restored. I came to the Durham Rescue Mission on December 6, 2002. We had a big ice storm and I wanted some hot food and coffee. The power was out in most places in Durham, but God provided for the mission.

At the mission, I found clothing, safe shelter, hot meals, and a kind and concerned staff. I also found a better understanding of God’s Word and a loving wife!

I finished the Victory Program and now I am working. My life has changed as I have learned to provide for my family. My wife and I enjoy attending Bible Baptist Church.

My desire is to follow God’s leading and live a life pleasing to Him. I want others to see what God has done for me and perhaps call on Him to do the same for them. My goal is to one day be able to purchase a home for my family and be able to take family vacations.

Chaplain Holloway has been a help to me on numerous occasions with transportation and a listening ear. Rev. Tart has been a very good teacher and mentor. Preacher and Mrs. Mills, I consider them as mom and dad; they are always there to lend an ear or shoulder. May God continue to bless them.

I would like to tell the supporters and friends of the Durham Rescue Mission, don’t ever stop giving, whether it is time, money, or love, because you never know whose life you may help change.

Tracy: I came to the Durham Rescue Mission in November 2000, just two days after delivering my second child. My lifestyle was dysfunctional. I needed and wanted a better life for my children and myself.

I found a second family. I found structure and learned how God could change my heart and attitude. On January 15, 2001, I asked Christ to be my personal Savior.

I completed the computer-training program in September 2001. Then in February 2002, I left the mission with the intention of going on with my life. Unfortunately, I relapsed into sin. I returned to the mission in February 2004. Now my fellowship with Christ is restored and renewed. God is my lifeline; being obedient has brought me abundant blessings: husband and children relationships, a job, a new church family, and material blessings too.

My dream is to one day be a homeowner and have a permanent job. I would like to continue working at the Durham Rescue Mission to help return all the good things given to me by this ministry. I want to be a help and testimony to all who come.

I am thankful my counselor, Velvet Ball, showed me the road to salvation and God’s gift to all. I would like to thank Mrs. Woodard for her counsel and friendship. Even though my personal sins may have seemed huge to me and unforgivable, she showed me that God loved me. Mrs. Pleasant and Mr. Nolfo have helped with the parental guidance, marriage counseling, and teaching from the scriptures. I wish to thank Mr. and Mrs. Mills for allowing Dennis and me to marry in the Durham Rescue Mission Chapel and for opportunities provided by the apprenticeship program.

I would like to say that monetary donations go a lot further than a donor can imagine. Donations of money, cars, and clothing can add new life and hope to someone who thought their life was over.