Homeless United for Change (HUC)

04/22/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1JAdsCnuJR/?mibextid=wwXIfr

For a long time, I believed something was wrong with me. I told myself I was cursed because I had an addictive personality. I thought my seventeen year struggle with alcohol and illegal substances was proof that I was broken at the core. I blamed my wiring. I assumed my desires were dangerous. And I carried quiet shame, believing God gave me a flaw I would always have to manage.

But grace rewrote that story.

What I eventually realized is that I was never cursed. I was hungry. I was not addicted because I was defective. I was addicted because I was designed to attach deeply. I just attached to the wrong thing. The New Testament helped me see this clearly. Romans 6:16 says we become slaves to whatever we obey. Addiction is not just about substances. It is about where the heart runs for life.

The finished work of Jesus Christ revealed something freeing. God does not remove desire. He redeems it. When I encountered Jesus, my hunger did not disappear. It changed direction. The same intensity that once chased numbness now clings to grace. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that anyone in Christ is a new creation. That does not mean my personality was erased. It means it was redeemed.

I used to think my history proved I was cursed. Scripture says the opposite. Galatians 3:13 tells us that Christ redeemed us from the curse. Not part of it. Not some of it. All of it. If I were still cursed, the cross would not be enough. But grace says the cross settled that completely.

Paul writes in Romans 8:15 that we did not receive a spirit of fear, but the Spirit of adoption. Addiction thrives in fear and shame. Grace thrives in belonging. When I stopped seeing myself as broken and started seeing myself as a son, everything shifted. I did not need to escape anymore. I needed to rest.

Here is the revelation that changed everything for me. My addictive personality was never the enemy. It was misdirected worship. Jesus says in Matthew 22:37 to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. My heart already knew how to love intensely. It just needed the right object. When grace met my hunger, it did not shame it. It fulfilled it.

Paul says in Philippians 3:8 that he counts everything as loss compared to knowing Christ. That is addiction language redeemed. Devotion. Attachment. Obsession transformed into intimacy. I am not addicted to substances anymore. I am addicted to grace. I am addicted to Jesus. And this addiction brings life, not destruction.

The heart of the Father was never to fix me by removing my passion. It was to heal me by giving my passion a home. The finished work of Jesus Christ did not make me neutral. It made me alive.

I was not cursed. I was just searching. And when grace found me, it showed me that the very thing I thought disqualified me was the thing God would redeem for His glory.

02/14/2026

Hello again!!
Shasta’s Kitchen will be offering another community meal on Friday February 20th from 5-7.
WHERE: 107 S. Wells Buffalo Illinois “The Fellowship Hall”
WHAT IS FOR DINNER: Sliced ham, cranberry stuffing, coleslaw, cheesy potatoes, bottled water and tea. Dessert apple and cherry crisp.
WHO IS INVITED: anyone who can read this post until supplies run out.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? We want to give back to the community. We want to offer prayer to those who need it in the community. We want to offer a table to those who want to sit with friends. We want to offer families with children a full service sit down meal and not have a huge bill afterwards. We want to offer the elderly a hot meal. We want our public service friends to have a full belly.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST: FREE!! Donations are welcome but not required.
WHEN ARE THE MEALS: Every third Friday from 5-7 -October-March.
DO I HAVE TO EAT THERE: To go boxes will be provided to those who are taking a meal to someone who cannot drive or be in public places.
Tonya Powers & Shasta Powers

12/02/2025

On Nov 24th, Homeless United for Change provided over 150 meals x2 at Helping Hands of Springfield. It was a great night with good food. I want to thank every single person who cooked, served, donated money or food items and made this night possible. It’s been a privilege to be accepted and loved by this community of beautiful people who ate our meals. We have one more meal in the month of December before HUC moves into a new facility. Let’s make it special! Tonya Powers, Shasta Ziller, & Linda Gessaman

10/28/2025

On October 27th, 2025, HUC members fed ~150 homeless people at Helping Hands of Springfield. It was our chili cook-off night and the residents chose which chili to eat and which was their favorite. It was a special evening where everyone had fun! The smiles and laughter said it all! Shasta and Justin were the proud winners of the chili contest! A great big thank you to everyone who donated with food, service, and/or money. Specifically, Body of Christ of Buffalo, SouthTower Community Church, Nurses of Memorial Hospital, and other kind individuals who have a heart for the homeless. Blessings, Tonya Powers, Shasta Ziller, and Linda Gessaman

10/06/2025

On Monday, September 29th, HUC fed over ~150 residents @ Helping Hands of Springfield by preparing and sharing a delicious homecooked meal of Ham & Beans. A big thank you to everyone who cooked, served, donated food or money and contributed in any way. Specifically, Body of Christ of Buffalo, SouthTower Community Church, Nurses of Memorial Hospital, and other kind individuals who have a heart for the homeless.

Why do we do what we do?

“Martin Luther King Jr. believed food was a right and linked food access to dignity, equality, and freedom.”

“When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind, and you will be blessed" (Luke 14:13).

Blessings, Tonya Powers, Shasta Ziller, & Linda Gessaman