Giving thanks for YOU

Tony has a NEW LIFE in Christ this Easter!

Tony and his two brothers grew up without a father, and they started getting into trouble in their teens. As a result, their mom decided to move them to the countryside. “I learned a lot there about how to be self-reliant and determined,” Tony says, but that also meant he didn’t rely much on God and struggled to trust others. “In bad times, I’d call out to God, and then in good times, I would put my Bible on the shelf.”

Although he had been exposed to different substances growing up, his struggles with drug addiction began when he was 26 years old. “I’d get high and then I wouldn’t talk to anyone. I didn’t want anybody to see my behaviors,” he says.

Tony says it was his lifestyle and lacking God that led to his life finally falling apart. After losing his job and sitting in his RV in negative 45-degree weather, he cried out to God, “Take everything and just take me home.”

He came to the Mission and joined our Christian Discipleship Program. “I’m a whole different man than I was then,” he says.

“Before coming to the Mission, I was damaged goods. Now, I am a blank canvas. With every brush stroke, a new part of me is growing.”

Our faith-based program has been a cornerstone in Tony’s healing, and he says, “It has shown me a different lifestyle… and that it’s easy to live without drugs.” The most important thing he learned is to “trust God” and “have full faith that He’s going to do what He says.”

Tony is optimistic about his future. He is grateful for the resources the Mission provides to help him set and implement goals. He has learned to trust people, no longer wanting to isolate himself.

Tony has since graduated from our Christian Discipleship Program and moved into permanent housing. He gives back by serving as a volunteer at the Mission and in his church.

This Easter, Tony is experiencing God’s gift of new life! Thank you for empowering him to follow Christ’s calling in his life. “I’m thankful for the Mission because they gave me time to heal and a place to be free from distractions and lean into God.”

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