“God has blessed me so much. From the addiction of the drugs and the physical damage I did to myself - I came here weighing 117 lbs, and today I weigh 188 lbs. I’m as healthy as I’ve ever been, I feel great. I’m energetic and can’t wait to go to work.”

Michael came to the Union Rescue Mission having been homeless for just under 20 days. A former functional drug addict, starting over took planning and focus, an unexpected turn of events, and prayer and trust.  Over time, Michael is now a living success whose story must be told.

Changed As Time Goes By

To Change Your Ways

Imagine being so sick of your drug habit that you close yourself off from the world in your house for 2 months – you are finally cleaning up your life, cold turkey. You feel so proud and capable of beginning new, but know you can no longer be around the old crowd of supposed friends. So, you sit down on the couch with a US map sprawled in front of you, close your eyes, and touch a finger down. You open your eyes to see your new hometown just under your nail - Hollywood.

Takes Planning & Focus

The hope of starting a new life is so strong that you begin to gather your belongings and decide how you will get across country now that you had to decide to sell your car. Fly? You could, but its not quite right. Instead, you take a Greyhound bus to give yourself the time to slowly, almost ceremonially, shed every thread that has entangled you in the past. Telephone polls whizzing by only encourage you to remain focused on your plan when you finally get to that bus stop. Task #1: Find employment. You are convinced you should seek a job in the food service industry, following your experience and training. Driving with the hope of a new life in Hollywood, you are on the move.

Unexpected Turns

Three days go by and you are still on the bus, but you know you are in Southern California. Its now in the middle of the night, 1:45 AM. Too anxious to get started on your new life, you decide that Alameda and 7th must be close enough - after all, the sign just read says Los Angeles. The bus driver announces the cross streets and you step onto the concrete, a white guy from Georgia, with two designer bags and shoes, standing on the edge of Los Angeles’ skid row. This is Michael’s story.

The bus rolls away, a gun is put to his head and he is told to give up his duffle bag. This leads Michael into a chase because inside that very bag is almost all of his life savings and ID. Eventually, the police find him and he files a report, but has little guarantee of seeing the bag again. Fortunately, Michael finds just under $500 tucked away in his backpack – the only money now to his name.

Prayer & Trust

At sunrise, he remembers that Santa Monica is close and asks someone for directions. “Just walk down that way,” they tell him and he walks. 16 miles. Finally at the pier, he meets some homeless youth, realizes he too has no home, and cries out to God. Much like Survivor in a concrete context, 11 days pass as Michael tries to carry on in an unfamiliar place and find help. Help came at Ocean Community Center from two compassionate women who made extra efforts to find food, clothing, and shelter for Michael. A few bus tokens and a walk from the Los Angeles Library, Michael found his way to Union Rescue Mission.

A New Life is Birthed

Michael came to the Contact Office with swollen legs and 3rd degree sunburns and found a bed, warm shower, new clothing, three meals a day, and the UCLA Health Clinic. Eventually, Michael joined the Christian Life Discipleship Program and put his food service experience to work in the kitchen. Graduated in November 2005, Michael was identified by program staff as a standout leader among the men. Through his proven integrity and work ethic, Michael served under his chaplain in the Apprenticeship Program, until the kitchen staff realized they were missing a vital opportunity.

Michael is now working as a full-time staff member in the kitchen at the Union Rescue Mission, coordinating all of the banquets and events. With humility and awe, Michael shared, “To see what the mission does is just amazing- it blows my mind away, it really does. I tell everybody I know back home, I’ve been in contact with my pastor and his wife, I had worked for, and they’re just ecstatic at the work I’m doing. They’re like, ‘We always told you God had something special for you.’” Michael is successfully saving up money to move into a place of his own.