You helped to set Daniel free. He is excited to celebrate one year of being clean and sober as he graduates from the Mission’s Changed Life Recovery Program (CLRP). His journey to wholeness began when he checked himself into the psych ward of a hospital.
Daniel grew up a happy child. His mother took him to church, where he learned about Jesus. However, he built his faith on his parents’ faith–he did not personalize his relationship with God. When his parents divorced, Daniel reacted with anger and rebelled against his parents’ values.
Young Daniel longed to find belonging and found acceptance in a group of peers who introduced him to marijuana at age 13. Soon, the practice of getting high took control of his life. The weed that served to make him feel better became his enslaver. Over the next two decades, Daniel repeatedly tried to quit smoking pot but inevitably relapsed.
By this time, Daniel lived with his girlfriend, and they had three daughters together. He supported them with his construction job, but he eventually stopped going to work because he was high.
“My life was a wreck. I lost my job, I lost my income, and I lost my car. I tried to help with my daughters, but I couldn’t provide for them anymore. I was miserable.
“I became hopeless, and I didn’t want to live anymore.”
At a friend’s recommendation, Daniel check into a local hospital, where he spent one week. They transferred him to Sheppard Pratt in Frederick, and after a week there, a case worker referred him to Frederick Rescue Mission.
“I heard it was a faith-based program, which sparked my interest. I knew I had to get back to God.” Daniel found the program challenging but liberating. CLRP Case Manager Jake Sexton says, “Daniel struggled initially but then learned to surrender to God, and his life turned around then.”
Daniel loves to talk about the change in his life: “At the Mission, I experienced peace of mind for the first time in a long time. I learned my identity in Christ. I now have a purpose in living. I’ve been delivered!“
During the first six months in the CLRP, residents work specific jobs around the Mission. Over the next six months, they work in the community. Daniel found a job in housekeeping at Frederick Health Hospital’s psych ward, which reminds him of the start of his journey. He can now provide for his daughters and recently took them to shop for school supplies.
After spending eight months in the CLRP, Daniel heard news that shocked him: His half-brother Desmond was entering the Mission. Desmond was such a hardened criminal that Daniel never thought he would see his brother enter a recovery program! Your support helped positively transform Daniel to such a degree that word got back to Desmond, and he followed his little brother to the Mission.
