Giving thanks for YOU

Thank you for giving Darin a life-changing gift this Christmas!

It is a miracle that Darin is alive to tell his story. Four years ago, he had a brain aneurysm that resulted in a stroke. “I was technically braindead for about three days after surgery,” he explains. He woke up just when he was being taken off life support.

Darin defied the odds but grew reliant on pain medication after surgery. “Pain became something that I wanted to escape from,” he shares. This combined with depression tore his family apart. His wife left him, and he didn’t see his three kids for months. He was ready to give up on life.

Then his friend brought him to Great Falls Rescue Mission, and he is now in our Christian Discipleship Program. “Before I came to the Mission, all I did was hurt people. I couldn’t take care of my wife and children,” says Darin. Now he wants to help people. “It’s more therapeutic for me to serve others, and serving God is so much easier.” 

“The program is reconnecting me with God and helping me see that I can do what I thought I couldn’t do.”

The Mission has helped Darin find his faith again. “I don’t think about my problems as much, but rather what I can do to help others,” he explains. “God told us to love one another. I’d like to open a church and teach.” The connections he has made at the Mission, especially with pastors and leaders within the community, are helping him move toward that goal.

Darin is thankful for the struggles the Mission has helped him overcome. “They reminded me that it is worthwhile to fight for your health and for God,” he shares.

This Christmas, Darin is experiencing all the joy this season has to offer – because YOU believed in the power of a fresh start and the promise of God’s unending love. “I’m thankful to the Mission because they helped me through my depression and showed me that I’m capable, worthy and wanted.”

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