From drugs to prison to homelessness… “God was always there.”

Richard’s story of where he’s been and where he’s been brought by the Lord is simply awesome.

Born into a place of privilege, Richard was raised by a dad who taught him to have compassion for his fellow man and a mother who tried to teach him about Jesus.

Richard deviated from this path when he took his first drink at 11, a drink that led him down a road to “personal destruction and holocaust” that lasted more than 30 years.

He started doing drugs and smoking marijuana. And even though he graduated from high school and attended college, drugs led him deeper and deeper into a life of ruin – to arrest and prison – to a place where even his family didn’t want anything to do with him.

Through it all, Richard is convinced that “God was always there.” “He got me through the violence in prison; He answered my prayers for Amy, who is now my wife – the beautiful woman who convinced me to come to the Mission.”

Amy was already here at the Mission when she talked Richard into coming off the streets and into our 12-month  residential recovery program at the Men’s Center.

Richard came “reluctantly.”

But today, he has nothing but praise for the Mission and its programs.

“This place is so wonderful,” Richard says with conviction. “I have a deeper understanding of our Lord’s mercy and His grace. Jesus guides me through everything. He guides my decisions and my family. We serve an almighty God, and I know if I keep God first, everything is going to work out!”

Richard’s graduation was a joyous occasion and a testimony to the fact that God never   left that 11-year-old boy who made a bad decision!

To hear the powerful stories – in their own words – of more people whose lives you have helped saved, visit SanDiegoRescueMission.org and click on “Our Programs,” then “Client Stories.”

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