Greg Lamp spent one heartbreaking Christmas completely alone—isolated in a prison of his own making. In his mid-twenties, he was still living with his parents, but that year, they celebrated the holiday with his brother’s family. Greg wasn’t invited, and he understood why. Addiction had consumed his life, and even he couldn’t stand the person he had become.
Just a few years later, however, Greg found himself celebrating the best Christmas of his life—as a resident in the Mission’s Changed Life Recovery Program (CLRP). Today, he has been clean and sober for 25 years and serves the Mission as the Rescued Treasures Manager.
Greg’s addiction to heroin had fractured his relationships in devastating ways.
He even sold his sister-in-law’s wedding ring to buy drugs—one of the painful choices that pushed his family to shut him out that Christmas. Spending the holiday alone brought a crushing loneliness reminiscent of his time in jail. He felt worthless, ashamed, and painfully aware that he had been raised for something better. Eventually, his parents could no longer cope and asked him to leave. Greg spent the next two years on the streets of Baltimore, sleeping in laundromats and under porches.
One day, Greg’s father drove him to the Frederick Rescue Mission and urged him to go inside. “You’d better make this work,” he warned. “It might be your last chance.” Greg knew he was right; after cycling through jail and multiple rehabs, his life was hanging in the balance. Still, he hesitated at the steps, afraid to take the next step.
But when he walked through the door, Greg’s fear eased. Ten of his old friends from Baltimore—men he had once used drugs with—were already residents! Now they were pursuing sobriety together. For the first time in a long time, Greg felt a spark of hope.
The next morning, withdrawal symptoms hit hard. Desperate and sick, he followed the sound of music into the chapel, where he found a band leading worship and the other men praising God. Greg knew nothing about following Jesus and felt completely out of place. He called his father, begging to come home. But his father held firm, and Greg realized that he had nowhere else to go.
Greg had started drinking and smoking marijuana at age nine and was using cocaine by middle school—a tragic norm in his Baltimore neighborhood. But after a few weeks at the Mission, the fog of addiction began to lift. His mind cleared. His emotions returned. For the first time in years, he could feel again.
What changed Greg most was witnessing the transformation in the other men. His former drug partners were now submitting their lives to God—and becoming unrecognizable in the best possible way. As Greg learned about Jesus’ love for him, he felt that love personally and surrendered his life to Christ.
When Christmas arrived, Greg was stunned to receive gifts from people he had never met. What moved him most was not the presents, but the kindness behind them—the generosity of donors like you.
That Christmas in the CLRP became the best he had ever experienced. He found genuine joy in a safe place surrounded by people who cared. He was no longer trapped in a self-imposed prison. Ironically, he was set free in a building that had once been the Frederick County Jail. Greg spent a full year in the CLRP, learning to walk with Christ. Though the years that followed brought challenges, he remained sober and continued moving forward. He joined the Mission staff in 2007 and now mentors CLRP residents as they ride with him on the truck, collecting clothing donations. Your support helps men like Greg discover healing, freedom, and hope—especially at Christmastime.
