If you'd told me all those years ago that one day I'd be volunteering at the same place that once helped me through some of the hardest times in my life, I probably wouldn't have believed you. But that's the thing about kindness, it has a way of changing people. Newtown Mission changed me, and this is my story.

I grew up on the Northern Beaches, but it wasn’t until my university years when I moved to Newtown that I felt like I lived in a community where I could be myself. My family was not Christian, but I felt God’s hand in my life from a very early age. I started to love and follow Jesus when I was sixteen, and when I became part of Newtown Mission a couple of years later, my faith blossomed. This was a place I could be nurtured and grow. 

He describes himself as someone who has “always had one foot in Christianity and one foot out,” learning over time how to live faithfully within that tension.

Through chaplaincy, study, family life, and community, faith has become something honest, reflective, and deeply lived.

Beginning.
Not every journey starts in an easy place.

When Dave first walked through the doors of Newtown Mission, he had just been released from prison and was trying to find his footing again.

But something felt different here.
Something told him he could belong.

This is where his story begins.

41 years in Australia. No family contact. No friends at first.
Just one heart, one routine, one steady walk to Newtown Mission, a place that became home. ❤️

In this Soul Story, a member of the Newtown Mission community reflects on finding friendship, belonging, and hope through the everyday moments of kindness, hospitality, and shared faith. 🌿

Home isn’t always a place you’re born into.
Sometimes it’s a place that opens its doors and says, you belong here.

From coastal Australia to a 1000km pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago, Emma’s story is one of sisterhood, service, and searching for a faith that feels expansive and grounded.