The love YOU share
gives neighbors like David hope for a better life…
When David was just 15, he witnessed an unimaginable tragedy that changed the course of his life. “My best friend was in a car wreck and died right in front of me. It really messed me up.”
He didn’t have the skills to cope with his trauma and began self-medicating with drugs and alcohol. For 20 years, David’s addiction controlled his life, destroying his self-esteem. Eventually, he wound up in a relationship with an emotionally abusive woman. Then, one day, she turned violent. “She beat me in the head until everything went black,” David says.
Thankfully, he regained consciousness, and in that moment, he realized that he was worth more than the life he was living, so he came to your Evansville Rescue Mission. “I told myself, ‘This is where I’m going to get my life straight.’”
Through our P.A.C.E.S. (Purpose, Accountability, Christ, Education, Service) program’s Health and Wellness Track, he’s done just that. In counseling and life-skills classes, he’s healed from his trauma and developed healthy coping skills to manage his PTSD and face whatever life sends his way. “I’ve never felt this good before,” he says.
With his emotions stabilized, David has been able to focus on his spiritual growth through Bible studies, chapel services, and Christian fellowship. “I know that God is on my side and I’m letting Him guide me. My spirituality comes before anything else.”
“The Mission turned my life around.”
Now, he’s developing vocational skills in our Centennial Center coffee shop, and after graduation he plans to serve as an intern, managing the shop. When he’s saved enough money, David is looking forward to getting a place of his own and becoming the independent and productive man God intended.
David now has strength for his future because of your heart of compassion for him and other neighbors in need. Because you chose to share God’s love, he has a path forward in life. “I was broken, but now I’m healed.”
