From Prison to Freedom in Christ

To Danny, marijuana was just a way to get through the days after his mother died. He couldn’t feel his grief and depression anymore. It seemed like a good thing.

But soon, marijuana wasn’t enough, and Danny turned to harder drugs. “Before I knew it, I had lost my girlfriend, my home, my car…everything started vanishing slowly.”

A Life of Fear
Earlier in his life, Danny spent six years in the military before moving on to a full-time job. Until his mother died, he’d never touched drugs. The world of addiction was entirely new to him. Now, as his life spiraled out of control, he found himself headed for prison. “I had a sense of fear because I didn’t know where my life would be going,” he remembers. “I was unsure of what to expect when I got out.”

But by God’s grace, Danny had once stayed at Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County briefly. “I had nowhere to go. I knew the policies of the Mission and how they had helped me the first time, so I came back. They gave me a second chance.” Then he adds emphatically, “They want me to succeed!”

A New Hope
And, thanks to the support you give him every day, Danny is succeeding. “I feel better about me. This addiction doesn’t have to get the best of me. I’ve realized Jesus loves me and that He always has. He wants the best in me and He brought me here to bring that out. Now, I read my Bible more and try to live life the way Christ would want me to live it.

“My family is really happy for me. They see the positive things going on with me.” One of those positive things is the desire for a new career helping others. “I hope to go to college this fall, to get a degree in Sociology, to maybe work as a case manager.”

Looking back over his experience so far, Danny says, “There are so many good things about the Mission.” That includes the people who make it all possible–like you! “I’m just grateful there are people willing to donate to help us. Especially when they don’t even know us! Thank You!”

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