Featured Testimonies:
Steve's Testimony
|
My name is Steve, and I grew up in Rhode Island. I come from a family ridden with generational alcoholism. For me, this meant repeating the pattern that was set for me by my father, and countless others before me. I had my first drink at the age of 18 and never stopped. Inside, I felt depressed, isolated, and alone all of the time. I lived in Florida for 8 years and had my own plumbing business. I soon learned that my mother was sick, so I returned to Rhode Island, still drinking but knowing my mom needed me.
Taking care of my mother became my full-time job, but my alcoholism was always there. My morning couldn’t start unless I was sure there was a 12-pack of beer in the refrigerator to get me through the day. I was functioning, but inside I was anxious, and didn’t know where to turn. One day, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore. I thought about my kids and my family and decided I didn’t want to drink anymore. I became sober in that moment, but little did I know that stopping drinking was only scratching the surface of my issues. My mom needed to be moved to a nursing home, so we had to sell the house to pay for her care. I didn’t have anywhere to go, so I got a tent and moved into the woods. Even though I was sober, I was more depressed and anxious than ever. I figured that maybe if being sober was this bad, I should just go take a drink. But, when I would lay in my tent at night, I would just talk to God, trying to figure out how to fix my life. I finally came to a breaking point when I was sick of living out in the cold with no home. I didn’t want to ask anyone for help. I wanted to figure it out myself, so I decided to try and commit suicide. I took too much medication because I didn’t know what to do. Something inside of me told me to go right to the hospital. I now know that was the Lord. The hospital connected me to the counselors and doctors I needed, and they told me that they wanted to take me somewhere that could help me. The Lord told me to listen and go. They took me right to the Providence Rescue Mission. |
The mission was where I realized drinking wasn’t my only problem. I was drinking to suppress all the feelings I was holding inside for so many years. I am the first person in my family to ever become sober after struggling with addiction, but the mission was where I really found God. I never had a real relationship with Him. While at the mission, I began reading my Bible and truly surrendered my life to the Lord. I abided by the program and came to love the classes and counseling they provided. Since I came to the mission a little over a year ago, I have, with my doctor’s approval, completely come off my anxiety and depression medication. I love reading my Bible, and now I feel that I can understand what it is saying.
I have always loved to help people, but now I have a real purpose for doing so: to honor God and serve Him. I am now one of the guys in charge of running the daily operations in the kitchen. The mission program was completely instrumental in turning my life around. I have truly experienced a miraculous change and if it wasn’t for God and the Providence Rescue Mission, I definitely would not be here today! |
Steven's Testimony
|
My name is Steve, and I am from Boston, Massachusetts. I was raised by my grandparents and placed in and out of foster care homes throughout my childhood. When I was 12 years old, I was adopted by a family and had a stable home life, but I was still dealing with some feelings and pain from my childhood. I graduated high school, but I started battling a drinking issue in my 20’s. I very much struggled with anger and violence in my life. I was raised as a Christian, but I wasn’t really acting like I was invested in my relationship with God. I was using my relationship with God when it was convenient for me and to justify my behavior in life.
Eventually I found myself in jail due to my struggles. I had all but lost my relationship with my children and my family. When I was released from prison, I started living a life entrenched in a new struggle with drug addiction. Now I was homeless, and I didn’t have anywhere to turn. I knew that I had to make a change, because I wanted to be a real father to my children. A friend of mine told me about the Mission, and I decided to see if they could help me out. I stayed in the emergency shelter for a couple of nights before I applied for the “Road to Recovery”Program for Men. It did not feel like other shelters that didn’t care; they treated me like family. Sean Carew, Pastor Steven Gomes, and Dave Horowitz, they are honestly like the dream team. I came to love how the Mission cared for me and treated me like family. They spent a lot of time with me one-on-one making sure that I was doing ok. The classes and counselling really made a difference in my life! The Mission made sure I had whatever I needed. |
The staff drove me back and forth to Massachusetts to visit my children for months; and because of my recovery and help from the Mission, I now have a restored relationship with my kids. I was also was able to get my court cases dismissed from my record! I reconciled my relationship with God, and I now have a true and honest relationship with Him!
I am starting college this fall to become a substance abuse counselor, so I will have the ability to help others just like me. If you are considering donating to the Mission, please don’t doubt your decision at all! The money you give literally goes to change someone’s life just like mine! It is the generous gifts that you give to the Providence Rescue Mission that make a big impact! |
Paula's story
|
My name is Paula, and I found myself homeless because of a family situation. The Providence Rescue Mission was a God-send. If it wasn’t for the Mission, I do not know where I would have gone. I started staying at the Mission as an overnight guest and felt comforted by how clean and safe it was. After a long tiring day, it was a place where I knew I could enjoy chapel, a nice meal, a hot shower, and relax without worrying for my safety.
I stayed at the Mission as an overnight guest for about a year and a half. I had heard about the discipleship program for women at the Grace’s House, but I was hesitant to apply because I assumed that it was only for people with a substance abuse issue in their life. I soon realized that it is for anyone that is struggling because we all have issues and trauma that we need to work through. Being on the program was very good for me and challenged me in a lot of ways. Even though I always had some kind of relationship with Jesus, through my time at the Grace’s House I got to know Him in a better way. I had a lot of misconceptions about who God was when I entered the program. The program gave me the space and time I needed to figure out who He really was to me and solidified my relationship with Him. |
I have graduated from the program and I now work at the Mission as a Resident Assistant to the women that stay in the overnight shelter. I love that I get to work with women who are going through some of the same things that I did and encourage them with the love of Christ. I am so thankful that God has done such an amazing work in my life! Thank you for being a friend of the Mission and making stories like mine possible every day!
|
Jose's story
|
My name is Jose, and I was born in El Salvador and raised in the country of Guatemala. I had a wife, children, and a home in Guatemala, but it just wasn’t enough. The pay there is different than the pay here in the United States; there is no minimum wage. I worked very hard in my country, but I never had enough to pay the bills and provide for my children to live. I decided to move to the United States to work, make a good living, and send money to my wife and children in Guatemala. One of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make was leaving Guatemala. I loved my wife very much. She knew I was a recreational drinker, and she always told me that I should stop, but I never did. I felt like because I was not an alcoholic it wasn’t a big deal for me to enjoy a couple of beers after work.
When my children became adults, my wife moved here to the U.S. to come live with me. I was very happy to be with my wife again, I missed her so much! I did anything I could to provide for her. I worked in construction, I cleaned the fish in seafood processing factories, and did whatever else I could do to earn a living. A little over two years ago, my wife became very sick and passed away. I couldn’t live with the sadness and guilt I felt when she died. We were married for 36 years, and now I was truly all alone. My life spiraled out of control very quickly after her death. I began drinking heavily and selling everything I had to support my addiction. At first I was sleeping in my car, but I had to sell it for more drinking money. I soon found myself sleeping in the local park near the mission. I started begging people for money to buy alcohol to drink my days away. I slept out in the cold New England winter because of my alcoholism, and I thank God for His mercy because I should have died out there. If I am being honest with you, when I used to drink I felt connected to my wife in some way; it was a kind of refuge for me to bury my feelings and immerse myself in my memories. I felt as though I couldn’t live with my depression and grief. I decided that I couldn’t stay on the street anymore and I needed to find a place to sleep. I started asking around if anyone knew a place I could stay, and a lot of them pointed me to the Providence Rescue Mission. I remember that Luis, one of the employees at the Mission, used to come and preach in the park and give us food and sodas every day. When he would come to preach, I felt different. I was raised as a Catholic and I always believed in God, but this was not the same. When he would come talk to us, I felt hopeful. I became aware that I had a strength and purpose that I never felt before. What drew me to finally come stay at the mission was that I always saw the mission employees taking care of people like me. I saw them doing this out of the kindness of their heart, not like it was just another job for them. I felt very thankful that anyone would even take time from their day to come talk to me in the park. When I came to the Mission, they gave me a place to stay and accepted me despite my addiction. I do not speak English, and the Mission never made me feel disrespected or like I didn’t belong there. They showed me love, respect, and the grace of God. They changed my outlook. They never treated me like an outsider. It was there that I found the motivation and determination to change the life I was living. |
One day I had to opportunity to have a conversation with a man that I later learned was Sean Carew, the Executive Director of the Mission. He had such a kind heart and treated me so well that I honestly had no idea that this man was the director of the place I was staying. He told me that he could tell that I had so much potential, and that I was welcome to stay there. Nobody had ever treated me like that before, with so much value, dignity, and heart. It is hard to find somebody with a heart like that. Through my time at the mission, and the renewal of my relationship with God, I overcame my addiction to alcohol and was able to move past my sadness, guilt, and shame. Now, when people see me out walking, they tell me I look different and that they can see that I’ve changed for the better. I ran into a friend of mine who saw the transformation I went through and offered me a job selling ice cream in Providence. I have my own cart on my bike and I sell ice cream all around the city. Once I started working, I was able to save enough money to get my own apartment and stop staying at the mission. I feel so much dignity and purpose now, and I can’t believe how far I have come.
Staying at the Mission not only changed my life, it changed my relationship with God. The Providence Rescue Mission was the bridge that God used to take me out of bondage and bring me to my “promised land”, which is in closer relationship with Him. God is my priority now. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is pray and talk to God, thanking him for another day. Through my time at the Mission, God has helped me to reconcile with my family. My daughters always used to tell me “Dad, please stop drinking, please.” They did not get to receive enough love from their father because I had to leave them to provide. It makes me cry to know that they felt that way. They saw me at my worst. Now, I talk to my children on the phone and have a relationship with them! All praise goes to God! I believe God has called me to go and share my testimony and help others who are in the same situation I was in. My goal is to share the love of Christ with my children and those around me. I want to learn and teach the Bible to help others who are struggling and hurting. Before, I felt hopeless and alone. Now, thanks to the support of the Mission, I feel like a different man. I have a hope for a better future. I feel joy and peace when I wake up in the morning. When I found the mission, I thought I found just a shelter, but what I truly found was a haven. I am who I am today because of the Mission. I just want to help those who are where I once was. I am so thankful for all the supporters of the Mission with beautiful hearts to help others. Thanks to you, the Lord, and The Providence Rescue Mission, I have been able to reach my full potential and embrace the Love of God in my life! Glory to God! |
