Robert grew up in a strict Catholic home, resentful of the boundaries his mother set around him. “I thought I knew better than she did. I wanted to stay out later, didn’t care about my grades, just wanted to coast through life without any responsibilities,” he says. “When I was 14, I ran away from home and that structure.”
But he wasn’t prepared to face the world on his own. Before long, Robert found himself homeless, began running with the wrong crowd and was introduced to a world of drinking and drugs.
Over the years, his addiction escalated, and when he was 28, Robert stepped onto the highway while intoxicated. “I got hit by a car and sustained a traumatic brain injury. That was a game-changer for me.”
He spent the next 14 years healing at a brain injury rehabilitation center. Then that spirit of rebellion rose up again. “I was unable to conform to the rules and regulations anymore,” he says. “I got kicked out and was dropped off here.”
That’s when Robert entered our Transformation Program, where chapel services and Bible studies led him to surrender his life to Christ.
“I stopped leaning on myself and started leaning on my faith in God.”
Through guidance and life-skills classes, Robert has addressed the root causes of his rebellion and learned a new way to live. “I got clarity about my underlying issues and it helped me overcome my addictions and see that I still have worth.”
He’s on disability, and when he’s saved enough, Robert is looking forward to getting a place of his own, getting planted in a church and growing in his faith. “The Allentown Rescue Mission has given me another chance at life.”
Robert now has strength for his future because of your heart of compassion for him and other neighbors in need. Because you chose to share God’s love, he has a path forward in life. “I’ve been given everything I need to be a better man.”
Download our Holiday Newsletter here.
