Daniel didn’t see the harm in drinking. After all, his parents were alcoholics and they were able to hold down jobs and provide for the family. It never occurred to him that God had much more for his parents than the lives they were living. So he began drinking in his teens and things went downhill fast. “I was incarcerated from 17 to 20 as a direct result of alcohol addiction,” he says. “As I got older, my addiction became more and more of a problem.” Eventually, Daniel wound up homeless and came to believe that he didn’t deserve anything good in life. When he wound up back in jail, it was just par for the course. He never guessed that God would use it for good. But there, in his cell, he found a glimmer of hope that, perhaps, things could be different, that maybe God had more for him than the life he’d been living. When he was released, Daniel entered our Parker House Aftercare Program, carrying that hope in his heart. Through Bible studies, daily devotions and faith-based counseling, his faith has grown strong and he’s addressed the root causes of his addiction.
Now, he sees himself and his life in a new way. “I’ve learned that I have worth. I do deserve good things, and if I just put my faith in the Lord, they’ll come to me.” After Daniel completes the program, he hopes to join our staff so he can help others find new life in Christ. “If I can bring hope to just one other person, it will be more than I could ever have asked for.” “Now I know God has a purpose for me.” Daniel is excited to celebrate the restored hope he has been given this Christmas – and wants YOU to know just how grateful he is. “I was lost, but now I know God loves me, and I have faith and hope for the future.”
