NEWSLETTERS

Aaron has a NEW LIFE in Christ this Easter!

When Aaron turned 18, he was on his own. Sadly, his father passed away the year before – and his mother, who was an alcoholic, no longer wanted Aaron in the house.

“I knew it was going to be an uphill battle,” Aaron reflects. “I moved around, couch surfing from place to place, staying on the streets every now and again.”

After a while, Aaron’s future started looking brighter. A friend’s family had taken him in, and he started going to college and working at a restaurant. When he graduated with a degree in business management, he moved to Philadelphia to get a job.

“That’s where I got my PHD, as I say: my Pretty Heavy Drug problem,” Aaron explains. “I was riding my bicycle to work, and I was hit by a taxicab. Onlookers told me I should be dead, but I was in shock, running on adrenaline.”

He was rushed to the hospital and prescribed OxyContin to treat the pain of two herniated discs in his back, and he quickly became addicted to the medication. “It was a euphoric feeling I’d never felt before,” he says.

When his prescription ran out, he turned to the streets to buy drugs. From there, his addiction took over his life.

“After three or four years of digging myself into a deep hole and losing friends and family that didn’t want to deal with me anymore, I decided to go to detox,” he says. He felt like Jesus was telling him to get help.

At detox, Aaron was referred to our Life Change Recovery Program at the Mission, and he joined with an open mind and positive expectations.

“When I first got here, I was curious,” he says. “I love new situations, and I was excited to meet new people.”

That excitement led to some deep friendships that made an incredible impact on his recovery. “There is a great sense of community here,” he explains. “No matter how you’re feeling, you always have somebody who will notice – and they won’t just walk away from you, they’ll come and talk to you and make sure that you’re doing ok and give you pointers. A lot of interns and staff members here have also gone through the program, so they know how it feels. They’ve been there and they can relate.”

Along with relational growth, Aaron also grew spiritually through Bible studies that helped him learn more about God. And through counseling, he came to understand himself better, too.

“I realize that I don’t need drugs to be a happy person, because I’m already happy, and everybody comments on that,” he says. “I don’t need drugs to live my life.”

Thanks to your compassion and prayers, Aaron successfully completed our Life Change Recovery Program – and he now works as the Kitchen Supervisor at our Morristown Mission location!

“It’s a challenge, but it’s a job that we need – we need to feed everyone at the Mission and in the community,” he says. And Aaron serves each of our residents and guests with the joy of the Lord.

This Easter, Aaron is celebrating new life in Christ thanks to the love you’ve shown and the support you’ve provided throughout his recovery, and he is truly grateful.

“Before, I was lost; but since coming to the Mission, I am found.”

To read the rest of this issue of Market Street Mission Messenger, click here.