Giving thanks for YOU

James has a NEW LIFE this Easter!

“I hated being myself, I wanted to fill the void by not feeling any more pain.”

James was taken away from his mom when she was 16 years old because she didn’t know how to take care of him.

He was placed in his grandparents’ care, which turned out to be an abusive environment. “I was scared to be home,” James recalls. “They threatened that if I told my mom, they would beat me even more.”

He finally mustered the courage to tell her. For the next several years, they lived in halfway houses while she went through rehab and got custody of him.

The trauma continued when James was assaulted by his first therapist. “That was a big part of my life that made me introverted and not trust people,” he shares.

As an adult, he self-harmed to cope. He also turned to prescription pills and then illegal substances to escape reality. “I hated being myself,” he says. “I wanted to fill the void by not feeling any more pain.”

His mother told him about our program at the Mission. He was initially resistant but when he arrived, he was touched by the warm welcome.

“I know God is there because He’s doing miracles in my life right now.”

“The Mission is drastically changing my life,” he says. “I’m learning to accept myself and forgive those who hurt me.”

James is especially thankful for his teacher who had similar experiences as he did and was in the same program. “It made me relate,” he says. “She has changed me and gives me hope.”

James is optimistic about the future and plans to do vocational rehab and learn a trade. “I’m blessed with what I’m able to do and things are looking up for me,” he says.

This Easter, James is experiencing the gift of new life! He has been transformed and empowered to begin his next chapter – thanks to your support! “I’m thankful to the Mission for the brotherhood, the love they give and for giving me a place of hope and a new version of myself.”

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