The Testimony of LifeChange Program Graduate Matthew Torres

A drunken career criminal.  Absentee father.  A burden and a danger.  That is what I had become.  At 7:00 in the morning I would be at the liquor store with only pocket change and empty cans, shaking and waiting for my fix.  I drank the cheap vodka, as much as I could afford.  I drank alone in my room until I passed out or blacked out.  If I blacked out I became anti-social and violent, and I didn’t care.  All I cared about was my buzz.  I became homeless.  No one could handle me or wanted me around.  I don’t blame them.

It didn’t start out this way.  I had a different childhood.  My mother was in and out of mental institutions.  She was often drunk.  My father raised me and provided for me.  I did well in school and after graduation went off to college.  I started drinking often.  On summer break I got in a fight with the police and went to jail.  I went to jail instead of back to school.  I bounced around losing one job after another due to my drinking.  I met a girl, had a son, but still wouldn’t stop drinking.  She left.  I drank more.

I tried to stab a cop and went to prison.  I swore I’d never drink again.  I got a parole and started drinking.  I completed parole, still drinking.  I just wanted to drink myself to death.  I hated myself.  I felt like such a drain on society.  I would lay in my bed, down a fifth and pray not to awaken.

My father brought me to Pastor Steven at the Lenawee County Mission.  I was scared, but I was willing to try.  I lasted five months and left.  I ended up in the mental hospital with a .4 blood alcohol level.  I returned to the mission.  I lasted five months then I left again.  I got drunk and was arrested for disorderly.  I stood outside and pondered: “I can go off to the woods and drink myself to death or I can get honest with myself and ask God for help.

I came home to the mission.  I stopped trying to regurgitate Bible trivia and poured out my heart to Jesus.  I confessed.  I told people of my pains.  I stopped trying to be a “Purell” Christian and started to be a disciple of Christ.  When I needed help I asked.  And scores of people came to my aid.  I saw Jesus in their actions and in their hearts.  They loved me even when I couldn’t love myself.  My heart was broken enough to let the living water of God flow in.  I just didn’t say, “God loved me”, I believed it for the first time in my life.  I see so much of God’s love around me now, in this community and in me.  I know Immanuel and I believe it, even when it hurts.

I am working on reconciliation with my son, Ray.  My mother and father are pleased that I’ve received healing.  I have a purpose and value.  I always did.  I just can see it now.  I have been accepted into Rochester College and may attend in the fall.  God loves me.  God even loved me when I was drunk on the floor.  God loved me even in a lonely cell.  He has called this sinner to the light.  If it wasn’t for Pastor Steve and this community, I am certain I would be dead.  Thank you all so very much!  I will pass this love on freely as it was freely given to me.  It’s such a gift to be sober, but an even greater gift to do the will of my Father, which is to love.

With truth,

Matthew Torres

     

The Testimony of LifeChange Program Graduate Brent Proffitt

I came to the Lenawee County Mission for the 1 year program. Upon my arrival from jail on February 12, 2012.  I was greeted at the front door by addicts that suffer from the same things I had gone through. My addiction broke my spirit, self-esteem, and destroyed relationships with my family members, not to mention the trouble I brought on my self, all stemming from my drug habit. I didn’t know how to love others with a sincerity to form healthy relationships. I was broken, lost, depressed. Fear had consumed me and drugs were my means of escaping. At this point it was life or death. I choose life.

I enrolled in the missions LifeChange addictions program wanting to change, to start new.  I have been taught throughout my life that through Jesus this is possible. My heart yearned for the love of God, for the teachings of Jesus to free me from my addiction. I prayed for God to forgive who I was, to restore the things I had torn apart. It wasn’t long, through prayer and meditations, that Jesus revealed to me the will he had for my life. Things started to happening to me. I felt a love that flowed through me. This is the living water Jesus talks about and I was feeling it. The being of Christ was guiding me. Every time I opened the word of God I was no longer lost in translation but I understood it, and with a passion that overwhelmed me.  Those people who I once hurt, started to see a change in me.  This started a series of events that rekindled relationships with my family and friends. I knew then that God heard my prayers and had started to mend what I had broken.

I have encountered the love of Christ in many ways since I’ve been a resident at the mission. Volunteers come from other churches to serve us food. I’ve heard heart-breaking stories from guys in our homeless shelter.  I could only sit and mourn with them telling them my testimony and how God has brought me out of the darkness. I have learned that Jesus is in all of creation - the poor, the sick, even those who don’t believe he walked this earth.

God's love is here and the invitation is for everyone. Mine came from being so broken and crippled that I could no longer stand.  He showed up and gave me his hand. I heard him say, ‘there is a place for you, no longer do you have to feel this way.’ I have learned to discern this voice and it is now my pilot, my captain, my savior. I know it will not be easy, but his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I remember when I dropped out of high, how I regretted it and the opportunities that I threw away. God makes everything new.  New opportunities have been placed in front of me.  Now I am attending school in pursuit of my G.E.D..  This will open new doors in my life when I graduate in April.  I am also continuing my Growth in Christ through church.

God has restored my relationship with my son. He now looks at me knowing that I will provide security and love that is shown through God. I can now have a loving relationship with my son, growing and introducing him to the God that changed my life. I look forward to my new future with this new man God has made, I am going to enjoy it even more sharing it with my son. The Lenawee County Mission introduced me to the sprit, so that I will be transformed by the sprit, that when I leave here I will be led by the sprit, and those around me witness this everyday including my son. So, I thank you, L.C.M for loving a hopeless addict like me and for introducing me to the teachings of Jesus Christ.  

~ Brent Proffitt

      

The Testimony of LifeChange Program Graduate Joshua Lennon

Hello my name is Joshua, I’ve recently graduated the Life Change Program. I would like to praise God for the work He has done and continues to do in my life, and I pray this testimony may glorify the greatness, power and love of our God.

I was born and raised here in Adrian. Some would say that I had a tough childhood; I never got to meet my father before he passed away and my mother was taken away from me for drug-related reasons. My sister and I were moved around from home to home for a while until our grandmother took us in, but the damage had already been done I just hadn’t realized it. I was angry, confused but most of all I was lost. I didn’t understand why the people who were supposed to love me the most, didn’t want anything to do with me. My drug use didn’t start until my mother got out of prison and came back into my life at the age of fifteen. I started smoking pot and drinking, as a way of rebelling against her, but that wasn’t satisfying. I was then introduced to oxycontin and that took all the pains and worries away temporarily. I was hooked, and this ultimately took me to my deepest and darkest days of my life. I never desired to be an addict and was always trying to quit I just didn’t know how else to deal with life, but thanks be to God, who provided a way out through the LCM.

When I first walked through these doors I was frightened I didn’t know what I was in for, but there was a peace that came over me and calmed the fear inside. I felt as if I belonged somewhere for once in my life, I knew deep down that this was where God wanted me to be. I didn’t know much about God or the bible, let alone that I could have a relationship with God. But through many teachings and the Holy Spirit God started to speak to me and reveal things to me in such an awesome way. My eyes were opened to the God at hand, and that God needs me just as much as I need Him. God has helped me to overcome these hurdles that have been knocking me down my whole life. I have come to know God’s forgiveness and love in my life. I’m so blessed I get to see it every single day whether it be through Pastor Steve and the way he pushes us to become who God created us to be, my brothers and the community and fellowship we have together. God brought me here for a reason and has surrounded me with the right people at the right time so that I may become who He wants me to be. I now have a purpose for the life God has given me and I truly know that I am never alone. Now as this season ends, I look forward to the life long journey that lies ahead with Him. I thank you all for making Jesus visible to me through your great love, sacrifice and support!

~ Josh Lennon

Testimony from LifeChange graduate Bruce Hardy

My name is Bruce. I have been in the Lenawee County Mission's LifeChange Program for 11 months now and I can truly say that God has transformed my life over this short time. Here's the story of how I got here.

At the age of eight I lost my father. Four years later my brother was murdered and no one was held accountable for what they did. I never got the closure I was seeking. I then turned to drug use to mask the pain. I was only twelve years old. I ended up dropping out of school at sixteen and it all went downhill after that. I got into painkillers which led into heroin use by the time I was eighteen. I needed help so I tried rehab and support group meetings. It worked for a year or so and then I relapsed, only to start taking pills again. There was something missing, something AA and NA wasn't giving me but I didn't know what or who I was missing.

After seven years of lies, manipulation, being homeless and helpless, I found myself not wanting to live anymore. I took around 100 Valium and I blacked out. I woke up in the hospital. They told me I should be dead and that I need treatment. So I got treatment for 18 days and it was there that I met a counselor named Eddie. Eddie told me WHO I was missing and that I needed to think about joining a Christ-centered program. So as you can see, God brought me here to Lenawee County Mission and its one-year LifeChange Program.

Since I have been here I have found out that God was always there with me through my sufferings. Now I feel like I have a purpose to live for and I have a Father who is always with me through all of my sufferings. Along with my new brothers in Christ who hold me accountable and a pastor that will never give up on me, I now know that if it weren't for accepting Jesus as my savior and the Lenawee County Mission and the support of the community, I wouldn't be alive today.

~ Bruce Hardy

Testimony from LifeChange member Aric Demski

My life journey can be summed up by a scripture in Luke 6:46 which says, "But why do you call LORD, LORD and not do the things I say?". I've grown up in the church knowing all the popular Bible stories. I've had ten years of private Christian education. I've witnessed God's hand at work in my family's life growing up by providing for all our needs when my father was laid off from work. I've witnessed God's protection by saving my life numerous times from car accidents. Why then do I find myself at the LCM at age thirty-five? The answer is the same for all of us who have been running from God. God asks us the question, "Do you want a relationship with me? I desire one with you."

The storms in my life began to beat vehemently on me and my foundation was built on sand. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2000 and wondered, why? My mother died of ALS, a woman of God and I wondered, why? I lost two good jobs in the past eight years and went through a painful divorce and wondered why?

I realized when these storms hit me I turned to drugs, and adultery to help me. We learn in the LifeChange Program that these avenues of relief are temporary feel goods that only mask and cover up the real problem. The real problem had bee an identity issue. I didn't know who I was anymore because all I thought I was, was taken away from me.

I was truly ready to throw in the towel on life, when a friend told me about the LCM and its one year LifeChange Program. I realized there was no way I could pull myself out of this mess I created and I needed someone more powerful than I to help. I had two options, check our or check in. The LORD God picked me up and checked me into the LifeChange Program at the LCM on July 6, 2010. Since that day I call Jesus my Master and I do what He tells me to do and now there is hope for the rest of my life!

~ Aric Demski

Testimony from LifeChange member John Scanlon

My name is John Scanlon, Jr. and I want to testify to the greatness of God and to the life changing power of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

I am 41yrs. old and was born in the Chicagoland area. My father worked in the steel industry while my mother was employed at a local restaurant. My childhood was by all means loving and painless. We (me, my parents, and my sister Bobbie) went on frequent vacations, supported one another, and lived in relative harmony. We were a close knit family unit where love and compassion prevailed. In spite of my generous upbringing, I began to associate with the “wrong crowd” around the age 16. There wasn’t any particular reason for this, other than pressure to fit in, but that in and of itself was reason enough to start using drugs and drinking. Although I used drugs in high school, I still graduated without experiencing any real difficulties.

Right out of high school I obtained employment at Argonne National Laboratory in Lement, Illinois. Within three years I closed on my first home, had multiple vehicles, a girlfriend and not a cloud on the horizon. Full of pride, I began to live recklessly – drinking, partying and carousing. At the age of 26, I met a girl who was as reckless as I. Needless to say, my addiction ascended to new heights. I spiraled into harder drugs like cocaine and acid, I used with more frequency and intensity. My life began to erode and unravel, spiritually and materially. I quit my job, lost my home, and broke up with the girl. I felt a geographical cure was in order, so I relocated to Tucson, Arizona.

During all the chaos, I met another girl (who later became my wife) and she ended up moving with me. In my thinking, all I needed was to re-establish myself in a different location. In actuality, what I was doing was running from myself, from reality, from God. And I kept running, until I literally had nowhere else to go. It was in Tucson where my addiction led me down the darkest alleys. I began experiencing with methamphetamines and it wasn’t long before GAME OVER. I lost everything and nearly my life. Pushing the age of 40 and after many broken relationships, a failed marriage, wasted opportunities, DUIs, and leaving in my wake a swath of destruction, I surrendered. I realized that running my life on self will was futile at best. I simply had to make a change.

Nine months ago, I entered the LifeChange program at the Lenawee County Mission. Here, I’ve encountered God in several ways. The power of God through his son Jesus Christ has been made manifest through me and a past which was once a detriment is now an asset. He has blessed me with ample opportunities to serve others in love and therefore my thoughts, my attitude, and my heart have all been transformed dramatically. The foundation for a new and powerful mode of existence has been laid. I have been empowered by this change and will continue to testify to God’s ability to change lives, to alter destinies and, if necessary, use words to do so.

~ John Scanlon

Testimony from LifeChange member Jayson Kruzel

It is an absolute miracle that I’m able to give the following testimony. Let it be a glaring example of God’s unmerited favor, a byproduct of His abounding grace, an extension of His endless mercy.

I was born in Toledo, Ohio on February 3rd, 1979. My childhood was not altogether tragic as there were moments triumphant with intervals traumatic. Academics were a cakewalk and thusly I breezed through high school with an honors designation, sealing down a college scholarship in the meantime. Things seemed to be going quite swimmingly, but in truth I was headed down the path of emotional and spiritual destruction.

Whilst experiencing an identity crisis in college, I began experimenting with illicit substances in November of 1998. By the following spring, I was fully immersed in the drug scene, pleasure had become paramount. That fall I dispatched with any and all ambitions for higher learning. Now a college dropout, my drug use progressed in an almost textbook manner.

Here, I’ve undergone open heart surgery, spiritual boot camp, divine instruction and have been infused with a greater purpose. God is healing my wounds with the precision of a particle accelerator, a mere fraction of His infinitely loving plan.

During my seven plus months here, I’ve witnessed blessings, transformations, restorations and manifestations that wouldn’t have been possible were God not spearheading them. My goal is to graduate from this program and accept the obligatory challenge, when what God has accomplished in my heart and mind culminates, a man of God emerging from the erstwhile broken vessel, poised and ready to meet and conquer any obstacle.

~ Jayson Kruzel

Testimony from LifeChange graduate Mark Letner

Before coming to the Lenawee County Mission's LifeChange program, I was a major liability to the Lord. Since I arrived, I have gained strength and courage to deal with the things I tried so hard to hide from through the use of drugs. I have found forgiveness and acceptance just as I am. Willingness to trust the indwelling spirit to help me decrease within, allowing God's word to increase, filling emptiness with His originally designed plan for me in His will. Provisions or instruction needed for what we in the LifeChange program may be going through, either personally or collectively, I have experienced many times - God shows up quickly. Whether it be at the local Salvation Army where we helped pass out Christmas presents or at Damascus Road Ministries where I volunteer, when I do what I can to serve others, I am spiritually uplifted with an indescribable joy.

I pray daily "Thank you father for touching the hearts of those who support your plan, sharing your love throughout the community serving those in need. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it all in the service you provide through this big blue house on Broad Street - the Lenawee County Mission. Thank you for your gift of grace I so desperately need provided through you Son Jesus at the cross in which I would be lost without". Amen.

~ Mark Letner

Testimony from LifeChange member Karl Hillyer

My name is Karl Hillyer. I am 43 years old. I have been battling a drug and alcohol addiction for over 28 years. Throughout my addiction I’ve been in several different programs. My first treatment center was when I was 15 years old. I’ve spent most of my adult life trying to quit using drugs and alcohol. I’ve also been arrested and in jail several times because of my addiction.

My family and loved ones have suffered a great deal of heartache and pain. I was never capable of being the son, brother, friend, husband or productive member of society like I wanted to be. I also never knew how to have a relationship with anyone after two failed marriages and falling short with having a relationship with myself. I always knew something was missing. It was like I had a hole in my heart, looking to be filled from something or someone. I always chose the wrong path.

Since arriving at Lenawee County Mission and entering the one year LifeChange program for men suffering from addiction, I have discovered that all attempts I have made to live life my way was not what God wanted. He wants me to live for Him, for His purpose. Coming here was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Even so, once I got here I received Christ as my Savior and not only am I clean and sober, I also have a growing relationship with God. The hole in my heart is being filled without all the searching.

Today I have hope for the future and faith that God will see me through whatever comes my way. Because of the mission and God’s love and grace my relationship with my family and myself is being restored. I’m learning to rely on God for strength and support. I know that God will never leave me nor forsake me no matter what. I give all praise, glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the mission for the person I’m becoming.

“You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” - Romans 6:18

~ Karl Hillyer

Testimony from LifeChange member Jeff Dove

My name is Jeffrey L Dove I was born in Toledo, Ohio. I am 37 years old and I was raised in a southern style home. We had a small farm with horses, chickens, ducks, geese and hogs. We raised them for the freezer, except for the horse (he died) who was more of a pet. From about the age of 13 thru 19 we were heavy week-end warriors, drinking and doing drugs. I figured I was just going through a phase, so I decided to join the Marine Corp. I shipped out in July of ’91. I thought my alcohol and drug addictions would be left behind, that is until I found out they put alcohol in Listerine. I drank about fourteen bottles of Listerine. The next couple of weeks were drizzly. I was honorably discharged seven years later in October of’98. I was then introduced to crack cocaine. At the time I was making about twenty-five dollars an hour as a mason-tender. I lived paycheck to paycheck, spending my earnings on crack. I was using to live and living to use. Then I found myself sleeping in my camper, in my parent’s side yard, with the dogs. Not because I had to, but because it was cheaper and I could buy more crack with the money I saved. I had finally come to the roads end. I needed to do something. I needed a change. I needed Christ. On June 8, 2008; I crawled through the Lenawee County Mission doors, and rededicated my life to Christ. I then started to live my faith and to walk like a man. Twenty-seven days after I arrived at the mission, God answered my prayers and delivered me of my twenty-five year cigarette addiction, along with the alcohol and drug addictions. I’d asked God to send the Holy Spirit to me, and to let me know for sure when He did arrive. On the twenty-sixth of June, during the morning Bible study, I felt as if someone had laid a heating pad on my head. At that moment I knew undoubtedly that it was the Holy Spirit. I looked around to see if anybody else was experiencing this, or if it was just me. It was truly the Holy Spirit. As for what the future holds, I don’t know, but I know who holds it and I know I can trust Him. College, career; those things are still undecided. However, what I will do to the best of my ability is follow Christ.

1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”

~ Jeff Dove

Testimony from LifeChange member Kelly Dalian

My name is Kelly Dalian. I am 48 years old. I was born and raised in Detroit Michigan. My parents were divorced when I was 10 years old, I was devastated! I ran the streets with the older boys in my neighborhood. I was introduced to marijuana and beer at an early age. In turn, I was in and out of trouble with the police a lot.

By the time I was in my teens, I was experimenting with pills. In my twenties, I was using cocaine. I had about $150.00 a day habit. I started committing crimes to support my habit. I ended up going to prison at the age of 25 years old.

In the last 23 years, I’ve spent 17 years of my life in prison. I finished parole in 2008, and came out to Adrian to start a job---but that fell through. Once again I found myself jobless, homeless, and back to using alcohol and drugs. I was at the end of my rope and ready to give up my life, but God had other plans...

I ended up coming to Lenawee County Mission in October of 2008. I enrolled in the LifeChange Program (a one-year discipleship program for men suffering from issues of addiction). I’ve been here for seven months. I surrendered it all the Jesus. I always thought I was alone in life, but Jesus said “I am with you always---” and today, that is the center of my faith. Even if my earthy father did not love me, I know that my heavenly father does!

Jesus is in my heart now. He Gives me hope for a future without alcohol, drugs, and other destructive relationships. I’m learning to live out this transformation, and respond to life differently. In time, I pray that I can help others who are lost and suffering, come to know the healing power and love of my Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

~ Kelly Dalian

Meet Arron

I went to Toledo to go to college and start a career. I started driving semi trucks, making good money and I bought my own house. Most people thought I had it all together. That is until I lost everything I had. I was heavily addicted to crack cocaine and heroin. Almost no one knew until it all fell apart in the end. By the grace of God I made it back to Adrian and became a resident at the Lenawee County Mission. I have stopped running from The Christ Jesus and his calling on my life. I am reading the word a little more every day. I can see how distorted my thought process was and how much it has changed already. I have been set free from all guilt and shame about my past. I can see that I still have a long way to go, but I have gained one important thing I lacked on the streets, hope. When I graduate from the program my intention is to become an intern here at the mission, with the hope that God can use my service and my story to touch the lives of others.

I had experimented with drugs in high school and smoked marijuana for years. Once I had been introduced to crack cocaine and heroin drug use went from recreation to an occupation. I could only see as far as the next high. Loosing my job and loosing my house was not enough. The only thing that made me want to change was when I became a father, but even that did not wake me up. I was forced to change, simply because I ran out of options. Before I made it to the Lenawee County Mission I had lost everything including hope. When a family member convinced me to come I had intended to stay only for shelter. I was convinced I could stay sober and move on with my life. After the first day God started to break me down, I began to realize that my way just didn’t work. Opening my heart was the hardest part for me. Once I made the choice to give God the chance to show me his love, it made it possible for others to step in and guide me. I finally found the chance to change as I had truly desired. I am growing and learning about God’s will for my life more and more each day. My life and my relationship with my daughter are safe.

Before I made it to the Lenawee County Mission I was lost. I had convinced myself that I was completely alone in this world. I carried the hurts of my past around everyday. They were my excuse to use drugs. Once I had been introduced to crack cocaine and heroin I could only see as far as the next high. Loosing my job and loosing my house was not enough. I became a father, but even that did not wake me up. I was forced to change, simply because I ran out of options. When family members convinced me to come to the mission I had intended to stay only for shelter. I was convinced I could get sober and then move on with my life. After the first day God started to break me down, I began to realize that my way just didn’t work. Opening my hardened heart was the biggest challenge for me. I can see how distorted my thought process was. Once I made the choice to give God the chance to show me his love, it made it possible for others to step in and guide me. The best gift is that I know I can start fresh with my daughter now. I have been set free from all guilt and shame about my past. I have gained one important thing I lacked on the streets, hope. I have stopped running from the calling Christ Jesus has been trying to show me for years. When I graduate from the program my intention is to become an intern here at the mission, so that I can give back and God can use my story to touch the lives of others.

Meet Eric

Since January of 2006 Lenawee County Mission has cared for the broken and weak men in our community who are homeless with food, shelter and the compassionate love of Christ. Oftentimes these men arrive at our doors with no hope, but soon are introduced to the One who can truly change their life, the Lord Jesus Christ.

One such man is Eric. A young man of twenty-seven he came to us this past spring. His past is darkened by abuse of drugs and alcohol as well as bouts of criminal activity, incarceration and vagrancy. In the past year Eric’s father, grandmother and uncle died. While attempting to silence his pain with substance abuse Eric recalled his uncle once informing him of a place he himself had stayed and had found the hope he needed to get his life back on track. That place was Lenawee County Mission. Eric heeded the echoes of his uncle’s prompting and is now finding the healing from his brokenness that only Jesus can give.

“The situations I had found myself in were hopeless. Through being at the mission I’ve learned to find hope and healing through the love of Jesus Christ. – Romans 5.3”, says Eric.

Meet Joshua

My name is Joshua Hall. I am twenty five years old. I was born in Toledo, OH; I went to Toledo public Schools and lived on the North End of Toledo. The neighborhood I grew up in was very rough and infested with gangs and gang activity. Before you knew it when I was sixteen years old, I myself joined a gang. I joined the gang to belong and to feel accepted.

At this point of time in my life I was starting to get into trouble. I was into stealing cars, breaking into houses and taken everything I could get my hands on. Because I chose to do these things, it got me into trouble with the law. I was arrested several times for criminal activity, in and out of the county jail almost became normal for me. Well not long after being in the gang I started to experiment with drugs and alcohol, I started off using marijuana and drinking beer, witch led me to using almost every drug known to man! So at first I did not really know what I was getting myself into. But to make a long story short, I found myself broke down and addicted, which led me to losing everything I ever cherished. I lost all of my really good job’s, and all of my childhood friends, and my relationship with my daughter Alivia, and as bad as it seems, it did not matter to me. I was lost in my addiction.

Still I continued to do drugs for about two years after losing everything until I absolutely had enough. I got word on the streets of Toledo, about the Lenawee County Mission. At that point I decided to give them a call and see if it was a place where I could change my life completely around, and become the man God intended me to be. Well a guy by the name Pastor Jim Watson came down to pick me up at his earliest convenience. I came to the Lenawee County Mission in December of 2006”. I was in the life change program for about four and a half months and thought I had it all together and left.

No longer then two weeks I was back at it again, drinking and using drugs. There I failed to realize that I had not completely given myself and my will over to God. And right there I knew God was calling me back to the Lenawee County Mission. So I worked up the courage to call Pastor Steven Palmer, and explain what was going on inside of me and where my heart was. I asked if he would give me another shot at transforming my life and becoming a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Pastor Steve was more then happy to have me back, and more then willing to help me out and to get me back on track, and to get me to realize that I am a beloved son of God. So here I am today saved by the good grace of God, and living out the many blessings he has in store for me.

I am now in school studying to get my G.E.D., and I graduate the life change program in August, and have plans to go to the community college here in town to study social work and to become a Christian student counselor. I want to give back what was given to me, Gods good word, and a whole lot of love. Because the Lenawee County Mission came into my life, I am a changed man, and I am no longer working for the devil, I am fighting in Gods army and living well. ( Thank You…)