“The Allentown Rescue Mission renewed my faith.”
Joe had been in recovery for nearly 15 years and was spending his days ministering to others who struggle with addiction. Then, without warning, his world came crashing down around him. “I was a live-in supervisor at a rescue mission and, right before COVID hit, they let me go because I’d been there so long. I lost my job and my home all at once.”
He tried to find work, but the pandemic made it impossible, so he was forced to live off his savings. “I was homeless for a year, staying in hotels, using all my money to stay off the streets,” he says.
He fell into a deep depression, his faith wavered, and finally, he relapsed. Then his money ran out, so he came to the Allentown Rescue Mission, where he found safe shelter and nutritious meals.
“If it hadn’t been for the Allentown Rescue Mission, I’d have been on the streets.”
But he wanted more. He wanted to find his way back to the life he’d been living, a life of sobriety and ministry. He entered our Transformation Program, where chapel services and Bible studies drew him close to God once again. “They renewed my spirit and my strength in the Lord.”
Through Bible and life-skills classes, Joe has developed healthy coping skills as well. “I saw my mistakes and I’ve grown and matured. I’m in a new place.”
Joe completed the program and is now working on our Clean Team Workforce, staying here while he saves money for a place of his own. Then he plans to go back into ministry. “It’s awesome to work with those in need,” he says.
It’s going to be a Christmas filled with joy for Joe – and he is so grateful to you for this wonderful gift of a new life. “I was lost, but the Allentown Rescue Mission renewed my faith. I know that, whatever happens, God has got my back. Now, I’m found.”
