“I arrived at Orama lost — living in my van with winter coming, a back injury, and my mental and emotional health depleting. I had just given my life to God and was looking for a place to stay. From my first evening, the whānau here welcomed me with a genuine compassion I hadn’t known before, and by midway through that first week I could feel Him working on me. Everything shifted — my thoughts, my heart, my sense of who I am. The community meals, prayer, honest conversations, pastoral care, the art studio and swimming in the sea — all of it became part of how God restored me. Orama gave me rest, privacy, and space to grow in my new faith. I came looking for shelter. I found healing, belonging, and brothers and sisters I’ll carry with me for life.”