“Even through my mess, I believe God led me here to the Rescue Mission.”
Orlando slept in his car, trying to get comfortable after a long week of working two jobs.
“Not many people knew I was homeless…” he says. “And it was really hard to wash my clothes and take showers.”
Sadly, Orlando knew of only one way to ease his suffering: drugs. As a child, he’d been prescribed medications for ADHD. And as he grew older, he started self-medicating with alcohol and more serious substances.
“Then I eventually lost my car,” he says, “and I really became homeless. On the streets. I just let myself go completely.”
At his lowest point, Orlando attempted suicide, overcome with anxiety at what his life had become. “I just didn’t want to live like that anymore.”
Thankfully, a family member intervened and helped Orlando come to the Bay Area Rescue Mission, where his life began to change.
“Even through my mess, I believe God led me here to the Rescue Mission.”
Orlando joined our Life Transformation Program, and through chapel services and the support of our Rescue Mission staff, he experienced God beginning to heal his emotional pain and free him from his addiction.
“I started repeating a Bible verse, Romans 8:1, to myself every day: ‘There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’ And my anxiety and stress went away.”
While serving at the Rescue Mission’s front desk and on our security team, Orlando discovered he has a heart for ministry. After graduating, he hopes to complete his GED and pursue a career as a counselor so he can help others who are struggling as he once did. “Through God, I know everything is possible.”
Your generous support has filled Orlando’s life with love, encouragement, and most of all, hope this Easter season. “I went from being so alone and filled with anxiety to being in God’s hands… The sky’s the limit now.”
To read this issue of Bay Area Hope, click here.
Help other people like Orlando…
Orlando’s story of hope and healing is inspiring. Our long-term recovery programs exist to help other men and women find healing. Will you help provide this help to others?