Because of you… “My story has a new beginning!”

“Now God is my foundation.”

D.J. was just 12 years old when his parents divorced, leaving him brokenhearted. “I blamed God. I was so angry with Him,” D.J. says.

The following year, he began numbing his pain with drugs. It was the beginning of a long struggle with addiction that only fueled his rage. “Anger was an excuse to use drugs, but I had a worse temper when I was using.”

D.J. was able to hold down jobs and complete an Associate’s Degree. But as his addiction escalated, his anger grew and his ambition eroded. “I just stayed in my room and stopped working and pursuing my education.”

Eventually, he found himself living on the streets, where he had a moment of clarity. “I realized I was absolutely lost,” he says. “I knew I had to get help.”

That was when he entered our Life Change Program, where Bible studies, chapel services and mentoring opened his heart to trust God again. “I started praying and He started answering my prayers,” D.J. says.

D.J. is completing the program at our sister Mission in Morristown, where life-skills classes are teaching him healthy ways to cope with his emotions. “Now, if things go wrong, I don’t get angry. I pray,” he says.

He serves as the head chef, making meals and happily sharing his newfound faith with other men in the program. “They come to me for advice,” he says with a smile.

D.J. plans to graduate from the program, go into our transitional housing, find work and save money for his own place. “I’ve learned to be responsible again.”

This Christmas, because of your compassion and God’s love, D.J.’s story has a new beginning. Through the gift of Christ’s birth, his future is filled with joy and meaning. “The Mission can work miracles. Before coming here, I had nothing but anger. But now I have God and I’m happy.”

To read our Holiday 2019 issue of The Lifeline, click here.