22 Aug Craig shares how your support changed his life!
Giving thanks for YOU
Craig shares how your support changed his life!
“I felt like I didn’t deserve to be on this earth, because I was here with no purpose. I was just out there destroying my life.”
Craig grew up without a father. His mother worked hard to provide for the family, but that meant Craig was often left alone.
“I was bored and wanted to have fun. The only way was to hang out with people in the streets,” he says.
In the streets, life went downhill for Craig. “You have to have a reputation and live up to it,” he explains. “Sometimes I had to do bad things to survive.”
He began selling drugs, and though his friend told him not to use them, he didn’t listen. He soon became addicted, and fines and jail time followed. His family relationships struggled as well: “I tried not to be like my father and leave my kids, but I also didn’t know how to be a man,” he says.
Throughout his years of addiction, Craig also experienced homelessness, sometimes staying as an overnight shelter guest at our Market Street Mission – Jersey Shore location in Asbury Park.
Street life took a heavy toll on him. He even tried to take his own life. “I had no self-esteem, no respect for myself,” he says.
He knew he needed help. And one day, he felt God telling him, “I’m going to give you another chance.”
He wanted to change the way he was living, so he went back to Jersey Shore – and this time, he decided to join our addiction recovery Life Change Program to find the healing he needed.
Our staff had been praying for Craig for years and were thrilled that he decided to join the program! With a hot meal and a shower, he began his recovery journey.
At first, he was a little nervous. “I didn’t know what to expect, but they showed me love and open arms.” Reflecting back, he says, “I thought people couldn’t be this happy from God. But you know what? It’s true. This is the first time in my whole life that I’ve been so happy, besides having my kids. I can see it and feel it. I’m getting better every day.”
After completing the first program phase at Jersey Shore, Craig transferred up to our Market Street Mission location in Morristown to participate in job training, counseling, and life-skills classes.
Time in our Learning Center was especially impactful: “Without drinking and drugs, I can focus better,” he says. “My reading skills were down until I got to the Learning Center. Now I know how to get on the computer, too. My first month, I earned 15 certificates. I started from the third-grade level of everything – math, language arts, presidents – and went up as far as I could go.”
Now, Craig is taking care of his health, saving money, and appreciating every blessing. He is also learning that even though he felt lost in the past, God has a purpose for his life.
“God is giving me the world right now. It’s a beautiful thing that He’s doing for me. I have a good church, sponsor, network, and the Mission. I have people in here that really love me and respect me, and I’m trying to do the right thing.”
Thanks to your prayers and generous support, Craig graduated from our program! You helped him renew his hope for the future, and today, he could not be more thankful.
Now, he serves in a leadership position as a program intern at Jersey Shore, and he finds meaning in giving back.
“When I came to the Mission, I was addicted to drugs and had nowhere to go. Today, I’m an intern, and I just took my Certified Peer Recovery Specialist training. I am so blessed that I came to this program and God gave me a chance to get my life back. I have my family back today, and my grandkids – there’s so much that God and this program have given me. I’m so grateful.
To read the rest of this issue of Market Street Mission Messenger, click here.
Help other people like Craig…
Craig’s story of hope and healing is inspiring. Our long-term recovery program exists to help other men find healing. Will you provide this help to others?