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Brad’s Testimony
My life wasn’t the greatest growing up. My parents split when I was young and for a long time, I carried it thinking it was my fault.
In school, I excelled in academics, especially in my high school years. Life in school was great during those years, but my home life – not so much.
I was bullied by my mother’s boyfriend. This is what made me turn to alcohol. I started to sneak booze all around the house, drinking any chance I got to fill myself with what I thought was liquid happiness. That went on until after I graduated when I moved in with my father which led to a whole year of partying, with my father joining in buying me booze and drugs.
I worked construction, which was good, but then I got laid off. That’s when the drinking reached an all-time high. I got a job at a local pizza place, I met a girl, and more partying more arguing with the family again…all I wanted was to be left alone to drink. Then the money was running low, and I couldn’t afford my booze. So, I decided to try and stop drinking and I told myself I didn’t need it. And that led me to going through a withdrawal. I was shaking so badly that I felt like I was dying. I had hated myself and what I had become…an alcoholic.
Last February, I remembered crying out to God, begging to stop drinking, and for Him to take it away from me. I was in so much pain, and I didn’t know what else to do.
Then I was told about the Westminster Rescue Mission. The first 30 days went by very slowly. At the end of month 3, I joined an evening chapel group. That’s when I started to take God seriously. I started to write to God on a daily basis in my journal, praying every day, and thanking Him for all He does for me. I started feeling the love that I was looking for and I started to learn all the amazing things God does for me.
And now I have graduated from the Mission. I’ve gained so much being here. Through God all of this happened. I don’t need alcohol or drugs to be happy – I just need God and He is enough. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “But He said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness, therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses.”
I made this my life verse because God loves me through the highs and lows, and through my strongest moments and my lowest points, no matter what. He is always there for me.
Jonathon’s Testimony
After 15 years of using and abusing heroin and other drugs, I found myself at Howard County General Hospital to detox. The social worker talked to me about some places in Baltimore City for treatment, but I did not want to go there. I also didn’t want a 28-day program – I knew I needed long term. When she told me about the Mission, and that it was faith-based, I thought ok, I’ll try it.
I had been to church as a kid. I went with my friend and his grandmother. But, when she died, I stopped going to church. I didn’t understand why God would let such bad things happen to people in the world. It seemed very unfair.
I remember the day I came to the Mission like it was yesterday. I didn’t know what to expect, but I knew I needed help. What I got was a change of heart. I have greater peace than ever before. I used to always want to be in control. I don’t need that anymore, because I know that God is in control. I was so anxious all the time. Now I don’t take any medications. I attribute that to an increase in my faith. There is a lot I still want to learn, but I know that God is always with me. One of my favorite ways to think about God is the “Footprints” poem, which tells us that in the hardest and darkest of times, God is carrying me when I don’t have the strength to walk myself. I believe that.
I got my GED while at the Mission. I intend to go to work when I graduate from the Mission, and then take night classes in accounting. I also want to volunteer at the Boys and Girls Clubs. I want to help keep kids off the street. Every kid wants to feel like they fit in; like they are accepted. I didn’t have that, and I would like to help kids have that – I think the best place to start is with children.
The most important thing about the Mission, and what I appreciated the most is how supportive and encouraging everyone is. All the staff are always ready to lend an ear. I never felt any judgment from them. It’s like the family you always wanted.
I can say without a doubt that I believe I will never use drugs again. I am excited for my life, and I know that God will continue to lead me. I am grateful.
Bob’s Testimony
Somewhere around 13 years of age I started to sneak drinks out of my mom’s liquor cabinet. The older I got, the more I drank. I graduated from school and joined the army. I grew up and became a man, so I thought, but I was pursuing a career as a professional drinker. It also gave me the courage to seek out women. By age 19, I was married and had a son. Within 5 years, I was divorced and paying child support, and drinking. I didn’t have a problem – it was everyone else’s problem.
I was married for the second time in 1988, but my wife was battling her own demons over prescription meds. Two addicts could not be under the same roof. I moved out and bounced into adultery; our marriage ended when she found out about the affair, and she committed suicide. Now I was drinking to relieve the pain. I was given an intervention by my family, and I managed to stay sober, going to AA, for a few years.
My third marriage resulted in two lovely daughters. I thought it was a good marriage until I came home one day to find my wife with my best friend. There was more cheating, and I returned to drinking because I had an excuse. My wife left me, and my daughters paid the price. I was not there for them.
My life took another bad turn when we lost our home to a fire. Now I became homeless. One rainy night, I felt hopeless and desperate in a church parking lot, and I cried out to God. The caretaker of the church heard me. Thank God! I was put in touch with the Westminster Rescue Mission within 72 hours.
My new life began here on August 13, 2018. I was 57 years old and learning about life all over again. This time it is with a purpose. I had made the decision to be honest and to allow God into my life. I was a broken man when I arrived, and now I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ.
Prior to coming here, I had no interaction with my family. Through the Mission and recovery, I have reconciled with my children and apologized to their mother. I wrote a letter to my mother also. To my mom I wrote that even though our relationship was hard, I forgave her and I was grateful to her and I know she loved me. “Hi mom, I finally did something right, and Christ is in my life.” I think I’ve seen miracles, and my testimony is one of them. Change begins from the heart. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Eph 2:8)
Chris’s Testimony
I was raised by my mom until about 9 years old. Then my stepfather came into our lives. I felt much love from them.
School was challenging. I remember talking back a lot. Then, high school was even more difficult. I found girls and drugs. The group I hung out with was not healthy. I did go to vo-tech for diesel mechanics. This was definitely a blessing. I got a job with Alban Tractor, the Caterpillar dealership, where I worked from 18 to age 31. I loved it, but drugs and a crazy divorce ended my job with Caterpillar.
I went to three 30-day programs, but this was not enough time for me. And I was not working on my relationship with God at those programs. I pushed through the next few years and earned my class “A” CDL license. I went over the road seeing the country, but I was full of fear and did not know Christ!
My last trucking job was hauling roofing shingles to Florida. It was fun and exciting, but I was not focused on God. I did not understand that there is a better way to live. I had been living in my Ford F150 for 3 weeks. This was one of the lowest points of my life. I called my parents for help. I had no clue what to do. My mom worked with this lady who knew about the Mission. Walking up that sidewalk to the Mission, I was hopeless, homeless and fearful.
I’m so grateful for the Westminster Rescue Mission. It has changed my life!! I’ve met many people who wanted to help me. This was a huge turning point for me. This was new to me – people who barely know us men, just want to see us do good and get closer to Jesus!!
One of my life verses is Luke 12: 22-26. “Then Jesus said to his disciples: Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your LIFE, what you will EAT, or about your BODY, what you will WEAR. For life is more than FOOD, and body more than CLOTHES. Consider the ravens, they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you, by worrying, can add a single hour to your life?”
It seems funny to me now that the first few weeks, while on housekeeping, I would WORRY about what we would eat for lunch or dinner. Worrying was a big problem for me before learning about God’s love and how he always provides. Also, I have learned the power of prayer, which helps.
I learned so much. Like in chapel, we learn the way we THINK, affects the way we FEEL, which affects our ACTIONS!! This makes so much sense to me! I learned quickly how to change the way I THINK, which did change the way I feel!
In reading my daily devotional, I learned plants absorb nutrients and show beautiful blooms, we are like that as well. We absorb what is around us, and we reflect it back in different ways, good or bad. The things that you take in often – like the Word, ALWAYS comes out in your words, your attitudes, your habits. So, I have learned to be careful about what I take in – this has helped a lot.
I would like to encourage anyone who needs help with addiction to come to the Mission; it works. I was not sure I was going to stay the nine months in the beginning, but the longer I stayed, the more doors opened up, and the more I learned. One thing I learned is always do the next right thing, even if no one is watching – it’s called “integrity”.
Rob’s Testimony
At the core of every hopeless situation is the belief that God is not in control. When you buy into that lie, the only option is to believe you are in control. That’s what I did. I used to think that my addiction was my problem. But it was just a symptom of the problem. God used my addiction to get my attention and change my direction.
When I was 6 years old, out of the blue, I came home from school to find my father had just up and left. He abandoned us, never to be heard from again. My mother went to work, and for the majority of my childhood, I was raised by my grandparents. My grandfather was my best friend; he played with me, coached me and took me to church. He passed away when I was in the 9th grade, after an agonizing struggle with leukemia. His death caused me to grow up way too fast.
Sports were my passion. I excelled in several sports at a young age. I decided to really pursue basketball, which allowed me to go to college. As a promising athlete, it seemed there was no accountability. As long as you perform, there are no consequences, only praise. I didn’t study in college, but I didn’t have to – team tutors did the work for you. I started partying and living on the edge. It caught up with me. I decided to leave college when I received a one-year ban from the NCAA.
At my lowest point, when I felt alone and with no hope, God drew me to Himself. This is when God really intervened, and I made the best decision of my life—I found the Westminster Rescue Mission.
I started my own business at the age of 22. I was still training very hard, playing basketball for hours at a time at local courts where I could find the best competition. Then I was injured, tearing my rotator cuff. After 2 surgeries, I was prescribed opiate painkillers. I remained on them for 2 years. I went to my first detox center and did manage to stay sober for a while. My business began to flourish, but this led to an incredible amount of stress. Around 2012, I was introduced to heroin. My usage quickly escalated. In 2013 I received 3 DUI’s, including an aggravated assault charge while DUI, and my sentence was 2 years in the state penitentiary. Life was hard in there and I saw some things I will never forget.
By May of 2017, I was using again and by July I was addicted again and received another DUI. I went into the worst downward spiral of my life. I had lost all hope and didn’t want to be alive. My lawyer, who was a longtime family friend, begged me to go into a long-term, Christian treatment program.
He said only Jesus can change me. I remember thinking this is not the time I want to hear about Jesus.
In October of 2017, I overdosed badly. My girlfriend found me blue and unconscious at 1 am. The police arrived quickly and administered 3 doses of Narcan to revive me. The officer later told me they thought I was dead. They were giving up. He said, “something saved you tonight.” I went to treatment. That night was my burning bush experience – God got my attention. At my lowest point, when I felt alone and with no hope, God drew me to Himself. This is when God really intervened, and I made the best decision of my life – I found the Westminster Rescue Mission.
The amount of love I have felt here is indescribable. God’s presence is absolutely here daily. The more I sought God, the more He came into my life. I believe I am now walking in the path He is directing. In the past 12 months, I have gone through some tough times – I have lost 2 close friends to overdose. But that has allowed me to gain a passion to remain sober, compelled me to help people, and led me to completely surrender. God continues to show Himself to me – He wants a relationship with me – and He has never let me down.
God first sought me, then He taught me, and now He is walking with me. Now I have hope. I feel blessed and grateful
Alex’s Testimony
Before I came to the Mission, I was homeless, living in my car, and cycling between pills and alcohol – the pills to get through the day and the alcohol to fall asleep at night. I was also chain smoking. I was 25 years old, and on a road to nowhere. Some talk about a feeling of hopelessness – well, I can tell you what it feels like to feel “lower than a snake’s belly”.
I had no sense of purpose, no motivation, and a real awareness that I was wasting my life. The worst part for me was believing that God had given up on me. It seemed clear to me that I had gone past the point of no return with God. I felt empty, confused and just so lost.
Then I came to the Westminster Rescue Mission. That’s when I started to realize how bad and destructive the isolation had been. I started to realize how much God uses other people to help me, and how much I need people in my life. I started to feel motivated by what I saw others doing; I thought if they can do it, so can I. I started to gain a sense of purpose back into my life.
At about 5 or 6 months into the Program, I finally came to the place where I realized that I needed to set aside all my doubts and regrets. I needed to move on. ****
I have recently graduated from the Mission Program. I will carry what I have learned there forward into my life. What I have learned is that God is gracious, and God’s people are the best people to hang out with – they build you up and keep you moving! I have a new purpose and a new perspective. My perspective has changed from glass half empty to glass half full. There is much to enjoy in life without drugs and alcohol, like playing the piano, or playing softball. There is a God-given purpose for living and only a healthy lifestyle will get me there. I am thankful for the chance to “put off the old self and put on the new man.” (Ephesians 4)
I was inspired by Philippians 3:13-14 —
Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Donn’s Testimony
I was born in 1959, the youngest of 4 and the only boy. My father was an alcoholic, and my mother did all she could to hold it all together raising 4 kids. I am a fourth-generation alcoholic, all men on my father’s side. I swore I would never be like him!
In high school, I found pot, music, and alcohol. In college I continued the same patterns –it was all about having fun. I believed in God, but it was something that could wait.
After 27 years of working for the same employer, the recession took its toll on the economy. They said they couldn’t afford the position anymore; I got some severance pay and left. I was bitter.
Life started to derail at a rapid pace. The work environment became toxic; the marriage was struggling… I was still trying to fix others instead of working on myself. I was white knuckling my entire life!
After two totaled cars in 15 months where I ended up in shock trauma, I knew I needed help. Did God save me for a purpose? This was my bottom… I was POWERLESS!
Still hurting from my July accident and with a sling on my arm, I entered the Westminster Rescue Mission. In the span of a couple of days, I went from a beautiful house, nice car, 33-year marriage, what looked like a perfect, worldly life…. to a Rescue Mission. I needed God and a place where I could heal and figure out why and how my life went to sideways.
So, I started the 9-month journey of recovery.
What did I find at the Mission?
The AC was broken, it was July. I shared a 10×10 cube with another client and a dorm and a bathroom with 24 other men. After my 30-day blackout period my family asked me what it was like. I told them it was 1/3 monastery, 1/3 minimum security prison… lots of rules and 1/3 college dorm without the beer.
After 3 weeks at the Mission, I received by certified mail separation papers from my wife’s lawyer. By this time, I knew it was all in God’s hands. I couldn’t fix anything anymore…I surrendered!
At the Mission I found compassionate people and lots of God centered activities. I learned what I was truly lacking in my life –a one on one relation relationship with my Lord and Savior.
I believe addiction is an idle issue. If I am in active addiction, I am putting my addiction before all things… including God.
“I am now letting God steer the boat. God gave me a second chance, it is a journey, and I am not there yet but I am not in the right seat, not the one with the steering wheel, now I just have to stay out of the way and be obedient.”
James’ Testimony
My name is James and what brought me here to the Mission was a crack addiction. Crack took me so far down. I’ve been so ashamed and beat down.
Crack cocaine took me down so bad that I finally cried out – and the Lord made it possible for me to come back. I came here on the 29th of September, and on the 16th of October, I was saved – I came into a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and that is the difference in my life. Today I’m a free person, a born-again Christian. I know that to be the Truth. It’s not just by mere thinking but by seeing things differently. The Lord is doing things I’ve never experienced before: He’s made me free and delivered me from the lifestyle of sin. And it involves a lot – that lifestyle of lying and being in bondage to my own self. I no longer have to pretend – I have the mask off now.
I’m just excited about what Jesus is doing and look forward to living the rest of my life under the Holy Spirit. I’m looking forward to returning back to the Mission one day to share greater testimonies about what the Lord is continuing to do in my life and talking of the goodness of God to the people that would be here: to continue to share the message of hope; of change; of life. Of our Great Deliverer, who desires “that all men should be saved, and none should be lost.”
I’m excited about what God is going to do. He’s changed my life here at the Rescue Mission. Change is real.
Joe’s Testimony
I was born into an alcoholic family. My father would go on a drunken spree 2 or 3 times a year. My mom said he would have a hard time coming off of them. When he did, his boss would let go of the 3 people they hired to cover when he was gone. My dad died when I was 5. I know my mom did the very best she could do raising me, although the father figures in my life all seemed to be alcoholics. I grew up thinking that waiting out in a car for them, or even spending hours on a bar stool drinking sodas was normal stuff.
As I got older, I spent more time with my oldest sister, so I started to do what she did – drink, smoke pot, and hang out with people way older than I was. By the time I was 12 or 13, I was doing a lot of different drugs. When I was in middle school, my mom was dating a painter who was a drunk and I worked for him. Now I found myself back in the bars, but with new rules. He would pay me not to tell my mom.
Around this time, I started selling drugs. I thought I had arrived. I thought money was power. I have spent many years of pain enduring that wrong perception that money is power. The fast lane became normal and so did the consequences for the way I was living. Everything I swore I would not do; I was finding that I would do. Jails, institutions, and overdoses were happening back-to-back. My life was going out of control and sometimes I could see it and sometimes I could not.
Somehow, which I believe to be God, I had the strength to call the Mission. This was on Thursday, February 2, 2017. When I walked up the walkway to enter the Mission, I was scared sick. One question I was asked during the interview was what I want to get from being at the Mission, and I said I didn’t want to die alone. I meant,
I wanted to know God before I die. Since then, my relationship with God has grown and grown. I read the Bible. I’ve learned that I have a conscience. I’ve learned that I’m really not Tough Tony, but I am Marshmallow Joe, and I like that person better. Early on in the Program, I was relieved of a weight I had been carrying when I confessed about an accident I was in once when leaving a bar. This was an “AH HA” moment in my life.
I really care about helping people in the community and I enjoy helping people, which is what the Mission is all about.
Mark’s Testimony
When I came to the Mission last April 11, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was better than where I was coming from. For months of the past year, I had been isolating, feeling depressed and anxious. I thought about drinking and suicide. I knew God was there, but I felt so far away from Him. Why is it we can encourage others who are in a bad way and not judge them, but when it comes to ourselves, we are our harshest critic? The first step of the 12 Steps of AA includes acknowledging that my life had become unmanageable. I did know that in making the decision to come to WRM, my life was going to change. I didn’t know how or in what ways. What I received right away was structure, which I desperately needed.
Before I came, I met with the pastor of my church. He came to visit me at the Mission, and he agreed it was where I needed to be. He said that my parish would look after my kids, and they have done that. It felt odd being in the Mission chapel at first, but I was accustomed to calling on God in times of need, such as when my marriage fell apart.
I knew He is found when we seek Him, but at the Mission I really came to understand that in my day-to-day life I did not often speak to Him in prayer or listen to Him in meditation. I have practiced here what I had learned before but seldom did – live each moment, stay in it, ask for help, do your best, admit your failure, celebrate success, be fully present, and love without calculating the cost.
I have met wonderful people at the Mission. I will always be grateful to the staff and the men who have walked this journey with me for their kindness. I ask God to relieve me of the bondage of self. I am not where I need to be and praise God that in His time, I will be the man He wants me to be.
God wants us to be at peace, He wants us to be joyful and He wants us to share what He so freely gave us. I love my children so much. Despite all the hurts they have suffered, they know that I love them. I thank God they also know how much God loves them. This is the most important truth of all.
Everett’s Testimony
Before coming to the Westminster Rescue Mission my life was full of resentment and despair. I tried several times on my own strength to stop the vicious cycle of alcoholism that was destroying my life as well as my relationships with my family. I realized that I needed help and I cried out to God, whom I truly believe in my heart, by His loving Spirit, sent me here.
During my stay here, I have received a loving reception from staff and peers, who through God’s plan helped me to settle in and start my recovery process, along with chapels, classes and counseling with qualified professionals. My relationship with God has blossomed; I no longer have a desire to drink; I’m more focused on life and re-building my relationships with my family. I can only thank a loving and caring God for this. He pulled me out of a horrible pit, put the right people in position to help me. He is the good and gracious Father. I am redeemed and grateful.
Jeff’s Testimony
First and foremost, I give honor and glory to my Savior, Jesus Christ, who loved and saved a wretch like me.
My story begins as a young boy who desperately wanted love and affection from his father. By the age of three my parents had divorced and by age seven my mother had remarried. I did have a great childhood not wanting or needing anything except my father’s love. During my high school years, I played sports and tried fitting in as best as I could, however there was always something missing. It was during my senior year a friend introduced me to God; I now realize the seed was planted then.
Shortly after graduation I was introduced to marijuana which I immediately took a liking to and began using whenever possible. By my mid-twenties I had started dating a co-worker and soon realized her entire family was caught up in the drug lifestyle. Before I realized it, I myself was living that lifestyle with much harder drugs than pot.
Over the next twenty years I was a functioning addict who had gone to several rehabs, had several relapses, was selling drugs and just surviving. I didn’t know it, but I was dying inside. At this point I was an empty shell and cried out to God with what we call “foxhole prayers.” I thought to myself there has got to be more to this “so called life” and if this is what it was going to be, I didn’t sign up for this! I found myself a lonely 45-year-old man crying out for a change because within weeks I was about to be homeless, penniless and broken. Through a family friend I heard about the Mission and decided to come because I had no place to go and nowhere to look — but up.
Being at the Mission for these nine months and soon graduating, oh how I see that God has been in my life, in the past, the present and will be in the future. I truly believe God had to break me to complete brokenness to get my attention. I have hope today and plan to stay at the Mission until God leads me to move on. If you are truly ready to surrender and trust in God, I am here to say that your life will change for the better. One of my favorite scriptures is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” God saved my life through the Westminster Rescue Mission, and all praise and thanks be to Him.