Because of you… “My story has a new beginning!”
“God’s been looking out for me my whole life.”
Alcohol. Drugs. Gangs. Jim grew up in Chicago in the ’60s, and those were a big part of his life. “Initially, it was fun,” he recalls. Ultimately, there were consequences.
Over the years, Jim became addicted, and from there his life spiraled downhill. “Eventually, I became unemployable. I was being evicted. I had no car,” he shares. That’s when he first came to the Mission… on Thanksgiving Day 2014.
“I knew it would give me three hots and a cot,” he says, explaining how he was only looking for a place to eat and sleep and access to public transportation so he could look for a job. “But what I got was amazing,” he says, describing his new life in Christ.
“God has had a plan for me my whole life, and He’s got something for me left to do. It may just be me saying the right thing to the right person at the right time, and I won’t even know the difference I made.”
Jim had gone to church as a child and always felt God’s presence. “Hindsight is wonderful. I could see all the times God had worked in my life,” he says. At the Mission, through classes, Bible study and the guidance of our staff and mentors, he overcame his addiction and invited the Lord into his heart.
However, he stumbled after leaving our care, and spent time in jail for a choice he regrets making. But during his incarceration, he continued to read the Bible and even ministered to other inmates. When the Mission learned he was there, we invited him to return.
Today, Jim has graduated from our program, works a part-time job at Subway and serves the Lord by mentoring other men at the Mission. “God has blessed me with a lot of knowledge in regards to substance abuse and faith,” he says. “My door is always open. I try to lead by example.”
This Christmas, because of your compassion and God’s love, Jim’s story has a new beginning. And he’s blessed by the greatest gift he could ever receive – a future filled with joy and meaning. “Now, at 62 years old, I wake up, I’m free, I’m joyous. I love my life.”
For the Holiday 2019 issue of The Rescuer, click here.
