Garris
A.
"The Lord has used River of Life Mission to
help me as I walk the path of recovery from
many years of drug addiction. Drugs had
basically destroyed my life. I lost my
family. I had no integrity. I was depressed,
lonely, fearful and drifting in darkness.
After coming into the Mission’s residential
program for men I learned to develop the
disciplines necessary to live a clean,
sober, productive life. The mission staff
continues to pray with me and encourage me
as I move forward in my new lifestyle. It’s
great to do an honest day’s labor and go to
bed at night looking forward to what
tomorrow will bring. I have not used drugs
since February 2008."
Shervelle
G.
"I am the operations director at the
Mission, but my journey was an unusual one.
My first time at the Mission was as a
volunteer with my church. I really enjoyed
the work and I began volunteering two
evenings a week.
One night the night manager came to me and
said that he heard I was coming on staff. I
was taken aback by that comment because, at
the time, I was working for a prominent real
estate company making good money and
benefits. It was a job I enjoyed and had no
intentions of leaving.
But the thought lingered and I prayed and
sought counsel from others. One of my
concerns was that I would be taking a
substantial pay cut—something I was not
prepared to do. But my pastor said that if
it’s in God’s plans then I shouldn’t worry
about it because He will make provisions for
you. After more praying, God confirmed my
future here with a passage from the Bible
and I joined the Mission family in May 2003.
When I think back on my journey it reminds
me of the story of Gideon from the Book of
Judges, where a meek man was called upon by
God to defeat the enemies of Israel. Gideon
keeps asking God for confirmation before
eventually moving forward.
Our guest population is diverse and includes
homeless veterans to single men and women to
a family living in a car. Our volunteer base
is equally wide-ranging, from neurosurgeons
at the height of their careers to welfare
recipients enrolled in the First to Work
program. We also see community service
volunteers who come of their own volition
through church or school as well as those
ordered to do so by the courts.
In short, everyday is different and there is
never a dull moment. But one thing is
constant and never changes: God has been
faithful to me and has met my every need. No
matter what new and exciting adventure
awaits me around the corner, God never gives
me more than I can handle.
Tania I used to wonder if you really have to
hit bottom before you are ready to make a
change. I don’t wonder anymore. I know it is
true. The details are not important. It is
enough to say that using drugs led me down a
path I wish I had never traveled. I look
back at my life’s journey. I see the petty
criminal activity, months, then years of
drifting in and out of homelessness,
associating with people who encouraged me to
do things my mother had taught me were
wrong.
The thing I most regret is the pain, shame
and years of worry that I put my family
through. Thankfully, my mother raised my
daughter in my absence. But, I regret that
my mother had to carry my responsibility. I
regret that I was not there to be a part of
my daughter’s day to day life. My self
hatred drove me farther down that lonely
path. Drugs were no longer fun things that
gave me a quick high at a party. They became
the necessary medication that kept me from
feeling the unbearable pain of knowing I was
hurting my family and wasting my life in
darkness.
I came to River of Life Mission a few years
ago and spent 12 months in their
Relapse Prevention Program. I learned how to
stay sober but I was too stubborn or proud
to admit that I needed more than sobriety to
have a better life. I left the program and
found employment but lacked the necessary
personal disciplines to manage my life.
Within a matter of months I was using drugs
again. That is when I hit bottom again. I
lost my job and my apartment and was facing
life on the streets again. In absolute
desperation, I phoned the mission and asked
Merrie-Susan if I could come back into the
residential program. She told me she had
been praying for me and yes, I could come
back to the program.
This time, my life is truly changing. I know
that the rules and guidelines and life
lessons about personal disciplines are
essential if my life is to be radically
changed. Both my birth family and my mission
family continue to encourage me and one day
at a time I am learning new life skills.
I am learning to be responsible. I am being
stretched but I am learning to stop fighting
against authority. I am learning how to
forgive myself for my many failures. I am
learning to trust the Lord. Basically, I am
learning how to enjoy life without drugs,
how to respect authority, how to get along
with people, how to communicate truthfully
and without anger. The bottom line is I have
a new life. I am thankful for River of Life
Mission for giving me a second chance.”
Garris
A.
Shervelle
G.