Thomas’s Story
YOU CHANGED THOMAS’S LIFE
Once depressed, drug-addicted and homeless, Thomas is living a new life . . . thanks to you.
Anger was eating Thomas alive. He’d lost multiple family members to murder at the hands of drug dealers. Then his mom died. And again, Thomas lost another loved one—his uncle. How could this happen?
Thomas was living with his uncle when he passed. Finances became tight. He was running out of options. Homelessness felt scarily close. And on top of it all, Thomas was living with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression. Life was spinning out of control, and he couldn’t put a finger on why. So, he was numbing his hopelessness with drugs.
“Then I remembered the Mission,” says Thomas. He knew he’d find shelter and help here. But he found much more . . .
. . . He found forgiveness, healing from his past and the tools he needed to achieve lasting stability.
Transformed by God’s love . . . and your generosity
“I haven’t had a bad day since walking through these doors,” says Thomas. “Life at the Mission has been a blessing, to say the least.” Through Christ-centered men’s recovery care, a compassionate community and spiritual nourishment, Thomas began to experience transformation from the inside out. “I absorbed the word of God and let it permeate me,” he says. “I stopped feeling the need to use drugs and developed a new appetite for the things of God.”
Your generosity opened the door for Thomas to receive counseling for bipolar disorder, anxiety and depression—and he’s experiencing a renewal in his heart and mind. “The way to become consistent is to look at The Consistent One—Jesus—and become like Him,” says Thomas. “If I stay on Him, I know I’m in good hands. Everything I need is being provided. And now, thanks to you and God’s grace, I’m about to step into a new career.”
You helped Thomas become self-sufficient!
Thomas recently graduated from the Fresh Start Program and has a full-time job at DC Central Kitchen, where he’ll learn valuable work skills to help him continue forward in self-sufficiency. His focus is fixed on school, finances, saving for the future and being a light.
“People today look up to me as a father figure and a loyal friend. That shocks me,” says Thomas. “I learned to see people with empathy and compassion, and now realize I was once just as destitute.” Thomas can see how far he’s come and the man he’s becoming. He gives all the glory to God, and all the thanks to you. “I’m just so thankful,” he says.
