Journey's End

Mission residents prepare to begin again.

News-Sentinel photo by Ellie Bogue A happy returnAfter days of living in her new apartment, Cleo Henry comes back for a visit to Charis House. She gives Toni Lovell, a caseworker, a hug.

Dan Cortez is as comfortable covering murders and robberies as he is reporting about Notre Dame football. Single, he is a downtown apartment dweller who frequents the YMCA for workouts. Jennifer Boen has three children, owns a home, attends church on Sundays, is an active band mother and craves her morning black coffee.

Photographers Ellie Bogue and Aaron Suozzi each have two children. Suozzi's children are very young and he spends his spare time fixing up his house. Bogue, who is married to another photographer at The News-Sentinel, loves to bike ride in her spare time and teaches a photo class at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Yet, for about a week in October, the four journalists left behind their busy lives and became homeless residents of the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission and its satellite home for women, Charis House.

They came with not much more than the clothes on their backs, and found out what it's like to go to chapel, attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings, sleep in a bunk, share a room with others and wash dishes and serve meals for hundreds. And they listened to stories of lies, self-denial, cravings, tears, laughter, hope and redemption. Today, join us for a poignant look at the journey's end for these men and women as they step out into the light of life, armed with what they've learned at the mission. And stay tuned as we check in with them again next year, and track their successes and setbacks.