Rescue Mission Alliance

Dear Heavenly Father, my life has been so jacked up for so long it was hard to imagine my life without drugs and alcohol, which I was trying so hard to fill that void in my heart with. A two-month stay at a rehab facility, two drunken drivings, two months in jail, stealing, lying, from family and friends resulted in my living on the street. It was only for a couple of days but it brought me to my knees and cry out to You, Oh Lord. I had heard Your voice many times before but I just didn’t want to listen to it. The fact is I came to believe that the job and money I had made for myself would be satisfactory in life. That’s as long as I didn’t use too much, so I thought. I was falling back into my old lifestyle at lighting speed. I didn’t care anymore especially about my well-being. Lord, do you remember when I had said that if I didn’t end up in jail or dead that I would go to the Rescue Mission, which my dad had talked so much about. That’s exactly what happened, just like all the other times. You’ve always had Your hand on me Lord. You saved me again. Thank You so much Father God...

San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission

My name is Dennis. I’ve been an alcoholic since I was sixteen. I am now 58 years old. I cannot remember a day or a time that I was not drinking alcohol, and lots of it. I would normally drink between a six-pack and a twelve-pack per day after I got off work. These past few years, I hit bottom. I lost my job at the Casino and started living on the streets. My son-in-law, who was homeless and found help at the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, found me living on the streets ready to die. He told me my granddaughter kept asking about me. It was at that moment I knew I needed help. So, I joined the mission’s drug and alcohol recovery program in Ventura County. For 42 years, there was not a day I was not intoxicated. Going through the mission’s ten-month program, I didn’t have one drink. Wow, what a difference being sober; it feels great. Thanks to the mission, I fully surrendered my life to God; I humbled myself and admitted I needed help. My life was out of control. Now that I am clean and sober, I want to thank God and my little granddaughter Savanah. A little girl brought a stubborn man to his knees. Now I am one happy granddaddy!

Valley Food Bank

On the surface, Eduardo appears to be a typical 8-year old, living in a neighborhood with a small town feeling that is next to other neighborhoods known for gangs, violence, and drugs. What most do not realize is, for nearly his entire life, Eduardo has helped his mother care for his older brother Raul, who is now 15. (The photo is an old one provided by the family) Raul has been bed stricken for the last 8 years, since he was diagnosed with Addison-Schilder Disease; a rare, inherited disorder that leads to progressive brain damage, failure of the adrenal glands, and eventually death.

Elina (mother) was pregnant with Eduardo when she got the news about Raul. At a few months old, it was confirmed that Eduardo had the same ailment as his older brother. The only positive thing about this situation was, unlike Raul, Eduardo at 5 years old was given a bone marrow transplant and endured chemotherapy that stopped the disease from taking over his body.

Read the rest of Eduardo's story and more stories from Valley Food Bank

Central Coast Rescue Mission

My mother has always been there for me. She has always clothed me, fed me and has always been there to teach me about life. She has tried to encourage me and she inspires me. In spite of that, I have been an alcoholic and my mother, fiancé, and children were very disappointed in me.

When I first arrived at the mission, from jail, on October 5, 2009, I did not know what to think of this place. After a short while, I started feeling more comfortable and started thanking God for bringing me here. Now I have a new way of thinking and feeling. I truly believe that if I were not placed here that my alcoholism would have continued to get worse and worse.

My name is Brian and this is my story. In the last 24 years, the longest I have stayed sober was 4 months. I tried everything I could think of to stop drinking; counselors, psychiatrists, and organizations dedicated to the treatment of alcoholism, but nothing ever worked. I had finally come to the point were I lost everything due to alcohol; my fiancée, my job, my home, and the respect of my family. I had a choice to make, I could choose death or ask for help. A counselor that I had become friends with saw what bad shape I was in and told me there was a place that had a good reputation in the community that might be able to help me. That place was the Victor Valley Rescue Mission. I called them, met with Ron Wilson the mission director, and was accepted into the program that day.

Changing Lives for Good