It is interesting that no matter how things change, they stay the same. I was reading about the opening of our women’s and children’s division in the early 1940s and see the exact needs and desperation today. This is a quote from James Adair’s book written in 1966: “A dejected woman, looking middle-aged rather than just 35, walks unsteadily down a street south of Chicago’s Loop area. Once a respected office worker but now a victim of drink and dope, she needs a real friend in the worst sort of way. A 26-year-old wife of a sailor traveling from California to Great Lakes Naval Training Station arrives in Chicago, where a man snatches her purse containing her money, bus tickets, and baggage check. Frightened and alone, she too needs a loving hand extended to her.”

These stories from the 1940s could have been written today; women and children still roam the streets of the big city, looking for a place to lay their heads. In 1941, a woman approached then-Superintendent Harry Saulnier with a challenge: “Mr. Saulnier, we’ve been thinking about getting a woman’s work started here. We need a division of the work where women of the street can come to be dealt with. There are so many girls wandering the streets who need the Savior.” The same can still be said today, that there are so many women and children wandering our streets that need the Savior. I am so thankful that our Lord and the generosity of our donors have made it possible to keep that vision alive.

I want to share a quote from one of our current mothers: “Since my time here at PGM, I saw a change in myself. Not only as a mom but as a devoted Christian and a woman who has been through trials and tribulations, yet is rising above with God at my side.

“Setting the right example for my kids is the cornerstone of what brought me here, and I feel like through PGM, I am achieving that.” Though written today, that could have been written years ago. Thank you for your heart to keep the vision of women and children going. Pacific Garden Mission still stands as a beacon of hope to those crushed by life’s tumultuous waves. We still stand as that Old Lighthouse.

And thank you for considering a gift to help more people live in the light of Christ’s love.