“I’m learning how to follow Christ instead of myself,” says Ryan. Just when his addictions and PTSD were about to kill him, Ryan instead found a loving community and the key to true transformation. Find out how! Read More »
“When I looked in a mirror…all I could see was a weak, failed mom,” says Daisy. Find out how she learned to embrace her true identity and later become a substance abuse counselor to help more women like her! Read More »
Carlos is one of the toughest men who has ever walked through the doors of Union Rescue Mission. Learn how he went from being violent and addicted to power to becoming a man after God’s own heart… Read More »
Marianna is a precious, beautiful child. At 10 years of age, she is full of energy and oozes confidence, and her smile lights up a room. She is not the same child who came to Hope Gardens last spring. The trauma she once experienced is unimaginable… Read More »
We all have a past. Unfortunately, mine is ugly. For almost 30 years, staying high on crack was the only way I could deal with the memories of the life I once lived as a gangbanger. Memories of friends who’d died … of people I’d hurt … of people I’d killed … Read More »
It was a Monday, last spring. My wife and I, along with our 11-year-old daughter, Alice, lived in Colorado. Before I left for work that morning, my wife asked, “Do you mind if I go to Denny’s and get us some breakfast?” I said, “Sure,” as I handed her my bank card. She left—and never came back…Read More »
Last Christmas, I bought my 9-year-old daughter, Leona, a real Christmas present for the first time in her life. It was our first Christmas with a tree, our first Christmas with lights, our first Christmas with joy. It was our first Christmas at Hope Gardens and it was our first Christmas spent with Jesus. Christmas will never be the same…Read More »
It was Thanksgiving, and Christine stood in the alley outside her mother’s backyard, listening to her family celebrate. She could smell the freshly baked turkey. She could hear the laughter. Growing up, Thanksgiving was one of her favorite holidays, a day filled with love and warm memories. But not anymore. She was no longer… Read More »
Thanksgiving doesn’t mean much when your daddy is a mean, abusive alcoholic. He often disappeared for weeks at a time, leaving us without any money or food. We were so poor, all our clothes were second-hand rags. So at school, all the other kids noticed, and I was bullied mercilessly. Rejected at home, rejected at school, I felt worthless. As I got older, I turned to alcohol myself… Read More »
When I was 8, an older boy offered me $20 and took advantage of me. I felt so ashamed, I was afraid to tell anyone. But my shame quickly evolved into rage and hate—and from childhood on, I took it out on the world.
By my early 20s, I was so angry, mean, and fearless, local dope dealers hired me to be their enforcer in exchange for all the meth I ever wanted. I jumped in with both feet … Read More »