“Everything about me is totally transformed.”
Andy grew up in a stable home with parents who did their best. But later in life, things began to unravel. After his divorce, he was heartbroken and devastated. Longing for relief, he turned to drugs and sadly developed an addiction that gripped him for 25 years… until alcohol took over.
“I was a functional addict, working as a cook,” Andy says. He was drinking so heavily that he wound up in the hospital every month.
The damage reached beyond his own health. “I was even drinking in front of my grandson, and he would mimic what I was doing,” he recalls.
One Christmas, his daughters intervened. “They were desperate,” Andy says. “They grabbed me, hugged me and cried. They wanted to see me live longer.”
That moment pushed Andy to seek change. He came to the Mission and spent three months in the Crisis Center before entering the Life Recovery Program.
“I thought I’d just come in, maybe get sober and they would send me back out to the streets,” he admits. “It’s unbelievable, everything they’ve done for me here. I didn’texpect this.”
“Finding my faith has completely changed my life. I believe in my Lord and Savior.”
Andy embraced every part of the program – from Bible study and church to the classes and advocates. “They’ve helped me through a lot. It’s been a great experience.”
Even his daughters are amazed at the change in him. When they visit and hear him playing gospel music, they can hardly believe he’s the same person.
Now Andy looks ahead with hope. “I want to live a longer, healthier life – to see one, if not both, of my daughters get married,” he says. He also looks forward to seeing his grandchildren grow up.
Andy’s fresh start is possible because of you! Thank you for your prayers and support that are filling him with hope for the new year. “Everything about me is totally transformed. The Mission introduced me to Christ, and I got baptized.”