Pablo's Story

When I was 8 years old, I started working in the fields in Mexico. I moved to the United States at the age of 14. When I turned 18, I began drinking with my father after work. I was told not to use drugs, but I used drugs and alcohol anyway because I wanted to forget about life’s problems. In the process, I lost my wife and children and began to drink and use more. I ended up going to prison for several years.

After my release, Parole sent me to a residential treatment facility. After completing the program, I entered the Distributive Bridge program where I began working part-time as a facility assistant at the Village of Hope campus. I am now on the full-time staff. My life has changed for the better, and I am grateful for the opportunity to change my life.

Shawn's Story

One year ago, I transferred from one of the Rescue Mission’s Bridge to Hope program houses into the Hope Respite Care program. I was struggling to stay sober and was also staring down the barrel of a three-year prison sentence for felony vandalism. This is where my journey to recovery began. My case manager presented in court with me and spoke with the judge on my behalf. The judge agreed to suspend the prison sentence if I completed the program and continued to do well for at least six months.

I have surrendered my life to Christ, and that, along with the help and support I’ve been given, has made such a difference in my life. I started volunteering with the Hope Respite program, and then I was hired as a House Monitor. I started making my child support payments. I have gone back to court and regained visitation with my children. Now I can have a positive role in their lives. I have also attended and graduated from Ace Overcomers, Leadership for Life, and Parenting classes. I have signed up for CCAPP training and am maintaining good grades. (CCAPP is a 14-month, 6-hours-a-week program to become a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. Following classes, 4,000 hours of supervised work are required.)

About a month ago, Probation came and interviewed me. I was given recognition for how well I was doing, which even made it to ABC News! I now hope I can be an inspiration for others of someone in the Merced County area who truly wants to make a change while on Probation. I would not have been able to come this far without Christ in my life and all the help I’ve been given along the way from the Rescue Mission. Thank you so much!

Ceduane's Story

When I came into the Rescue Mission’s Bridge to Hope program in Los Banos, I was right off the streets and had a rough time adjusting, but with honesty, willingness, and support from the staff, I started to engage in the services offered. They assisted me in starting the process of addressing some of my court cases. They also assisted me with seeing my doctor regularly. With their help, I was eventually able to get an apartment!

I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without help from Bridge to Hope.

Now that I am housed, the support I receive from the Rescue Mission doesn’t stop. I still receive assistance from the Mission’s Enhanced Care Management team. I can’t thank them enough! - Ceduane

Rita's Story

I grew up in a family that moved around a lot. My five siblings and I were bounced around from school to school, and it was hard. My addiction started when I was 11, and by the age of 15, I was a young mother who was heavily involved in gangs, gambling, and drugs. I’ve been fighting my addiction now for 26 years. Because of my addiction, I lost relationships with my children, my family, myself, and God.

On August 31, 2023, someone told me about the Rescue Mission and that it changes lives. I am now completing the Hope for Women program with a different mindset on life. Being in this program has helped me become a better version of myself by giving me the tools I needed for a new, better, and healthier life. I am so grateful and happy that I am getting back everything that the enemy stole from me and that I am no longer spiritually bankrupt. The Rescue Mission has helped to restore my relationship with my Father God, and from that, God has restored my relationship with my kids and my family. In addition, the Mission is also helping me further my education to get my diploma along with my cosmetology license.

I believe God placing the Rescue Mission and the people in it to help me is the biggest blessing, and I couldn’t be more grateful. When people say the Rescue Mission changes lives, I am a strong believer because the Rescue Mission changed my life, giving me the chance I needed to have a first-class life. Thank you, Rescue Mission!

Liberty's Story

I grew up in a home where my mother and father were both in addiction. Then my brothers and I were split up and sent to foster homes. As a teenager, I began drinking alcohol and using drugs. My addictions led me to be sex trafficked, and I became active in gangs and identity theft which led me to prison.

During my time in prison, my roommate shared Jerimiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” She kept telling me that God had a plan for my life, but I just ignored her because I didn’t believe it. When I got out of prison, I continued living in my previous lifestyle. I used drugs and alcohol to cover up the pain in my life. In 2019 I was sent back to jail, and that’s when Jerimiah 29:11 began to have real meaning for me.

In 2020 I started my journey of recovery. I asked the judge for a program that would help me get my life in order. The judge ordered me to complete Drug Court for 18 months with the stipulation that if I didn’t complete it, I would face 15 years in prison. In February 2021, I completed Drug Court, and in June of 2021, I received my high school diploma. I also completed the Breaking the Chains program for victims of sex/human trafficking. It was during this time that I met my husband in Drug Court.

Today I work as a Housing Navigator with the Merced County Rescue Mission, and I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ. I am married to an amazing husband and have two little ones at home. I am so grateful and blessed for what God has done, and continues to do, to bless me and my family!

Ashley's Story

Before I was accepted into the Rescue Mission’s Hope for Women program, I had been living in my car. As I packed up my things to enter the program, I kept making excuses to myself about why I couldn’t do it. When I got there, I was feeling so angry. Every day I found a different reason to give up, go back on the street, and get high. BUT THEY NEVER GAVE UP ON ME! I saw what it was like to have people who cared about me and wanted to see me make it without gaining anything from it.

Before I was accepted into the Rescue Mission’s Hope for Women program, I had been living in my car. As I packed up my things to enter the program, I kept making excuses to myself about why I couldn’t do it. When I got there, I was feeling so angry. Every day I found a different reason to give up, go back on the street, and get high. BUT THEY NEVER GAVE UP ON ME! I saw what it was like to have people who cared about me and wanted to see me make it without gaining anything from it.

By the time I left the program, I had a smile on my face more days than not because of the help and support of the people at the Rescue Mission. Every morning someone would talk me out of leaving, and today I am beyond thankful. Another person helped me to see a different way of life. Instead of making excuses, I was taught how to find reasons why I could do them. I had great support and was held accountable by the people God placed in my path. Another blessing was that people had my back through all my angry days, and looked out for my dog when it was time for the next chapter of my story.

Today I am a drug and alcohol counselor for a women’s support program. I have over a year clean from drugs and alcohol. I have a sponsor, and I am working on my 4 steps. I live in an apartment and am an active mother again with all 4 of my beautiful children back with me.

Without the people at the Merced Rescue Mission, I don’t think I would be where I am today. I am living my life again and not just existing because the people at Merced Rescue Mission gave me a chance and believed in me. Most importantly, they never gave up on me. Every day at my job, I give my clients the same love and dedication that I got from them. I thank God daily for putting them on my journey. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Brandon's Story

Brandon, another graduate from the Homeless Court Program, has been a participant in the Mission’s Hope for Men home since September 2023. Before being admitted into the program, he had been homeless for two years and struggled with a meth addiction since 1994. He had been arrested twice for manufacturing methamphetamine. The first time the charge was dropped, but the second time he received a sixty-eight-month sentence for which he did fifty-two months. His choices in life, until he entered the Hope for Men program, had brought nothing but grief and destruction.

Over the years of going to court for the charges against him, the fines totaled a great deal, and he felt helpless to pay. When he found out about the Homeless Court Program, he went through the process and performed the community service required to qualify for having his fines dismissed. All his hard work and dedication have freed him up to work on becoming the person God created him to be. Proud of you, Brandon!

Elizabeth's Story

Elizabeth is a Homeless Court graduate who has been working at the Navigation Center for nearly three years. It’s very difficult to imagine one could live the life she has from a very young age and have the success she is experiencing now. Since Elizabeth was a very young child, both her mother and father struggled with drugs, alcohol, and homelessness. She, along with some of her young cousins, lived off and on with her grandmother who dealt drugs and lived in a trap house (crack house).

As a young child of nine, she was already using drugs and thought that lifestyle was normal. By fifteen she was a drug addict. At eighteen she was given time in prison. When she was released, she was court-ordered to the House of Grace, a drug rehab located in San Jose. Elizabeth graduated from the House of Grace and returned to Merced where she attended Behavioral Health and graduated from GEO.

She was told by a friend about a position available at the Navigation Center that she would not only enjoy, but do well in. She applied and was given the position at the Navigation Center where she still is employed. She is currently a college student getting a transfer degree in sociology so she can work in Child Protective Services. Elizabeth did so well in her recovery, programming, and now collegiate studies that her court fines, which totaled in the thousands, were dismissed, and she is the first to have her prison record expunged. Well done, Elizabeth!

Nelson's Story

Nelson is one of our graduates who is a great example of someone who felt hopeless and needed help. He was living at the Navigation Center where the Homeless Court Program was introduced to him. He had court cases and fines as well as an arrest warrant. He was addicted to methamphetamines, making his future seem dismal. In addition, he sustained an injury while incarcerated, and he blamed law enforcement for his inability to be employed. Nelson needed relief from the weight of his court cases and fines, as well as help moving forward in life in a more positive direction.

He did qualify for the Homeless Court Program, and that meant that he needed to get busy with community service hours to satisfy his court cases and fines. He jumped in, eager to get his court issues behind him. His community service was performed at the Navigation Center by sweeping and mopping the large floors, cleaning table tops and chairs, and working in the kitchen. Over time, Nelson was able to complete enough community service hours to have his court fines dismissed. He did so well that he applied for and received a paying job at the Navigation Center, and he is now living at one of the Mission’s Transition to Hope houses. He received his driver’s license for the first time in a dozen years, passing his DMV test with a 100%.

Nelson’s future now looks bright. In his own words, Nelson says, “I am profoundly grateful to the Mission for offering me a second chance at a good life and a promising future. With heartfelt sincerity, I extend my deepest thanks for everything you have done for me.”

Stacy's Story

Stacy is a resident at the Navigation Center and has an amazing story leading up to having her court fine dismissed in our September Homeless Court Graduation. Before coming to the Navigation Center, she had been homeless for more than a decade. She was originally from Indiana and was married with three children. She had struggled with psychological medication and alcohol. The result was a deterioration of her family relationships, leading her to leave Indiana by herself, ending up here in Merced. Being homeless in Merced, she eventually heard about the Merced County Rescue Mission and the Navigation Center where she was eventually admitted.

She struggled for a while, but through her Service Coordinator, she was introduced to the Homeless Court Program and decided to look into having her fine dismissed by volunteering her time and working as many hours as needed to satisfy her court fine. She accomplished her goal, and since then, with the help of her Service Coordinator, she has been able to get her necessary identification papers, health insurance, glasses, and beautiful dentures. She volunteers two days per week at the Senior Citizens Café and is working towards securing a job and permanent housing. Great job, Stacy! Proud of you!

Bryan's Story

I was homeless and had been living on the streets with my son for the last 4 years. I just couldn’t stop using drugs. I started off sleeping in my Trailblazer while my son stayed with my mom. During COVID, we lived in motels. It was an ongoing struggle, and at the end of it all, I was living with my son in a shed with no toilet or running water.

Out of desperation, I decided to ask for help from the Rescue Mission and was accepted into the Bridge Housing Program. I hit the ground running. I got in, and I have stayed in the program.

Everything is working out. I have a place to live, and I have a full-time job that I love. I’m also going back to school to get my bachelor’s degree in computer science/IT. My son loves the new apartment, and he is on the Honor Roll. We may even be traveling to Washington, D.C. as a reward for his academics.

I am so grateful. I’ve made up my mind to continue in my recovery. This way of life is way better. Thank you, Jesus! And thank you everybody at the Rescue Mission!

Missy's Story

I started using drugs when I was in high school, mainly to numb the pains of my life. After that, my life just spiraled out of control. I lost myself, my kids, my family, and my friends. My relationship with God was on the path of being non-existent. I remember being so angry with Him and my situation.

I will never forget the defining moment that brought me back to God. I was at my wit's end with my life, and I decided it was going to change one way or another.

I was ready to die. I went down on my knees and cried out to God and asked if He was there. Otherwise, I was ready to end it all. I wrote letters to the 3 little ones that meant the most to me and was ready to go.

The next day I received a phone call from my dad that changed my path in life for the better. I was accepted into the Merced Rescue Mission’s Life Transformation Program on June 8th, 2015, at 8:00 in the morning. I graduated from the program one year later and got back everything that was stolen from me and way more. The strong bonds with my daughters have been restored and made even stronger. I have new relationships with family and friends. I remarried and have been blessed with 2 grandbabies.

Since 2017 I have been blessed to be employed by the Merced Rescue Mission doing what I love. I have been working with the Rescue Mission’s Hope for Women program, coming alongside women and helping them achieve their new paths with God. I have completed the CCAPP * training program, and I am now waiting for the test. Once that test is taken, I will be a certified drug and alcohol counselor.

My passion for my future is to become certified in Anger Management and Domestic Violence. A verse that I have written on my heart that I use every day is Phil. 4:13, “I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength.” This reminds me every day that no matter what storm I am going through or what passions or ambitions I have, I can accomplish them when God is my foundation and the leader of my path.

* CCAPP (California Consortium of Programs and Professionals)

The CCAPP program is a 14-month, six-hour-a-week course that includes a variety of classes that train participants in drug and alcohol addiction counseling. Following the successful completion of this program participants must complete 4,000 hours of supervised work before receiving their accreditation.

Misty's Story

I am currently serving as the Director of the Hope for Men and Hope for Women New Life Transformation program. As of October 11, 2023, I had 18 years clean and sober serving Jesus Christ. I battled addiction since the age of 12. I have experienced jails, institutions, and near-death experiences because of addiction, crime, and running from God.

I finally surrendered in 2005. I was on felony probation, about to serve 5 years in prison, and in stepped Jesus---my Shepherd, my Friend, my Protector, my Healer, and my God. He sent probation, tranquility, my sponsor, and many women into my life to help me transform into the woman of God that I am today.

He wasn’t done with me yet. I decided to daily surrender, and for 18 years, I have done that. I wake up, I thank Jesus for another day, I read the word, I pray again, I worship, and I don’t pick up, NO MATTER WHAT!!

I want to tell you that people who attend meetings make it, but not without God being at the center. 12-step programs work, but not without God being at the center. Marriage works, but not without God at the center. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. Without Him, I am nothing, and there is no good thing that lives in me apart from Jesus.

I thank God that He allowed me to live and gave me a brand-new life. I have been a drug and alcohol counselor for over 14 years and served in many capacities. I am also blessed to serve as the youth pastor at Grace Community Church. I became an ordained minister, and I currently volunteer for the Jail Ministry. I am a sponsor to some very strong and mighty women of God, and I am honored to give back what was so freely given to me.

Please, if you suffer from addiction, you are not alone and don’t have to do it alone. Ask for help, seek Jesus, and go to a program. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. If you’re not dead, God is not done!!

Stephen Tristan, from participant to Hope for Men Program Manager

A word from David Carr, MCRM COO

I would like to introduce you to Stephen Tristan. Stephen is our Hope for Men Program Manager. He heads up our men's program. Stephen works hard to identify men for the program by reviewing referrals and going into the courts to interview men for possible program placement. Stephen also oversees all the groups that take place within the men's program and oversees community stewardship opportunities that the men have. Stephen is a wonderful man of God who pours his heart out to these men to help them get on the right pathway to follow God.

Stephen’s Story

I am the program manager for the HOPE for Men program at the Merced Rescue Mission. In November I will have 21 years of sobriety.

My journey has not been easy, but I have achieved far more than imaginable through the Grace of God. It was Jesus Christ who brought me to a place where I was in search of real meaning, and I got saved as a born-again Christian at the age of 27. I came from a lifestyle of drug abuse and chaos being the norm. Through His healing power, I was fortunate enough to end my cycle of self-destruction, and I started a whole new lifestyle of living with purpose and reason.

My background consisted of growing up in a loving home, but it was a home with few consequences. I was raised in a biker family, and consequently, I was exposed to many things that may not have been very appropriate for a curious young boy. I was first introduced to substance use at the age of ten, and I can honestly say I was a full-blown alcoholic by the time I started high school. As a full-blown addict during my late teenage and young adult years, there was no future for me. My life at this point consisted of all sorts of addictive behaviors -- broken relationships with family and friends, struggling to make ends meet, and fighting off demons that refused to let me be. Even then, I still believed that I was better than everyone else because I was a “unique user”. I graduated high school, and I held a full-time job. In my messed-up thoughts, I had it all under control, but then I reached a breaking point when I realized I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of the way I was living my life. I was living such a depressed life that I was sleeping with a Bible under my pillow for comfort, and I would cry myself to sleep after self-medicating with alcohol. Thanks be to God that He spoke to me in His unique ways.

I remember going through a phone book looking for answers to my pain. I was never court-mandated, nor was I taking these steps to try to make someone else happy. I was doing this for me. I called THE CAMP Recovery Center in Scotts Valley simply to inquire. The next morning, they were knocking at my door ready to take me in. I consequently checked myself into a rehabilitation center, and that was the first day of the rest of my new life.

Seventeen years into my recovery I was faced with many challenges.  I was on the verge of losing my family amid a divorce and had a handful of hardships that I needed to overcome. Although I had struggles, I still had the foundation of my sobriety and my love for Jesus Christ.  This was when I was introduced to the Merced County Rescue Mission. They took me in and housed me in their Transitional Living program. I fell in love with the Merced Rescue Mission because it was with their love and guidance that I was able to overcome my hardships. I immediately knew that I wanted to contribute and give back by helping others recover by, first and foremost,  putting our Lord Jesus Christ first in all that I do and by sharing my experience, my courage, my strength, and my hope.

Sabrina's Story

This is my second time at the Mission’s Hope for Women program. The first time was in 2019. Through this program, I gained a home, my kids, my first job, and nearly three years clean. After leaving the program, I did not keep up with the practices that kept me clean - I stopped going to church, meetings, and Bible study. I did not reach out, and in the end, I lost everything. I feared what the leaders would think of me, from having been a co-worker to now a client. However, I was welcomed with open arms, and when others found out, they said, “Welcome home.”

Ephesians 2:8-10

“For by Grace you have been saved, through faith– and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not from works so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork created in Christ Jesus; for the good works that God has prepared in advance that we should do.”

John's Story

A spotlight on one of our staff members working with our faith-based, life-transformation, Hope for Men and Women program.

For 29 years I thought my life was falling apart, but how could it, if it was never together? I came to the realization that everything was falling into place. Suffering from a 29-year crystal meth addiction, I came to the point where I was afraid of dying out on the streets homeless and alone. I was tired of living my life the way it was. I cried out to the Lord and begged him to rescue me from this path of destruction I was on. I finally came to the realization of what Jesus Christ meant by letting go. I told Jesus that I did let go, and Jesus said that I needed to let go with both hands.

On August 28, 2021, I finally let go of my own self-will and was accepted into the Merced County Rescue Mission’s Hope for Men, life transformation program. My life has been transformed by establishing a firm foundation with Jesus Christ, my redeemer. I have utilized any and all available resources provided by God through the Merced Rescue Mission. I am now over two years clean and sober, and I am the new Peer Navigator at the Hope for Men program working for God. I am giving back as a living testimony to those who are on the same path that I was on to give them a sense of HOPE, inspiration, and encouragement. I let them know that with God, all things are possible if you just LET GO AND LET GOD.

Jaclyn's Story

When I was in my addiction, I was no good to anyone. I would drink a lot and use drugs, and I became homeless. One night, when I was off my medication and out of my mind, I was at my parents’ house yelling at my father to let me in so I could get a bag. My dad said that I could not come in, and that he was going to call the cops. I started to yell and tell him off. My parents were scared. Then the cops showed up just in time.

The cops said it was serious and called what I’d said to my dad criminal threats. I was arrested, and the cops read me my Miranda rights and said I was going to jail. I started to cry and felt mad at the same time. I didn't understand that criminal threats were so serious.

I went to jail for 9 months. Some Christian ladies, together with the chaplain, came every Sunday. They asked me if I wanted to go into a program, and I told them that that was not for me. When I went back to court, I was told I would have to go to prison for 3 years. Then I started to think that going into a program didn't sound so bad after all.

I talked to Misty Rose (director of the Hope for Women program) who was one of the ladies that would come to the jail. When she came, she would talk and pray with me. She asked me if I was ready and willing to go into a program now. I said, “Yes, please help me. I am willing to change my ways.” I got out of jail on February 9th and went into the Hope for Women program. I’m trying to the best of my ability to learn more about Jesus and how to live. I’m also staying clean from drugs. As of now, I have been clean one year and one month, and I am happy to stay sober. I became a Resident Assistant in the Hope for Women program house. I’ve been able to see my kids, and I have a relationship with my family. Today I know that God is good.

Tara's Story

I was lost, broken, and an addict. I knew I needed help. I found the Merced County Rescue Mission and successfully completed the nine-month Hope for Women program. I learned so much while I was there. They have provided me with a support system that is beyond amazing. I learned that I am loved, and now God is who I look to for all things in life.

I did my GIANTS, and they were very hard for me at the time. Today, I can use them for my fears. In addiction recovery, I learned that, as long as I remember to reflect and always put God first before anything or anyone else, I will succeed in my recovery.

The Hope for Women program helped me learn my love for the Lord, and that He has and will forever love me. He will never leave me or forsake me. There was a hatefullness holding on to me for so long, and I learned how to let it go.

Today I am myself again. I have a job and love that my kids are in my life. I have an amazing fiance who loves me unconditionally. My dad and brother are my biggest fans, and I love myself again.

If you or someone you know needs help to change their life for the better, do this program. It will make you better, and the staff is amazing — they will love you through it all.

GIANTS - FACING LIFE’S TRAUMATIC ISSUES

Using curriculum, participants, with the help of a counselor, identify traumatic issues in their lives. They use scripture to help address their issues and develop a plan that will help overcome those issues. The hope is that this process will help them face and overcome traumatic issues in the future and empower them to remain stable in their lives.

Cheryl's Story

The last trauma I could take was finding my sister in her home where she had passed away. I had been evicted from my apartment and abandoned by my husband and children. I was homeless and broken. It was like I woke up one morning and I had nothing — just the clothes on my back.

I spent nearly 12 years trying to figure out why my world was so broken. I didn’t know anything about living on the street, but that’s where I lived for the next four years. I was used, bullied, taken advantage of, and robbed. Then I met someone and spent the next eight years being horribly neglected by him.

Finally, I was able to get some help for myself. It took another four years to get myself right enough to be able to go out on my own.

Today, thanks to the Mission, I am living independently with my dog Boss Hogg. Slowly, but surely, I am becoming stronger each day. This would not have been possible without the help of the Merced Rescue Mission. Thank you and hats off to Jennifer Carr and the Navigation Center staff.

Cheryl with her Service Coordinator, Amanda. Cheryl was recently housed!

Rachel's Story

Rachel was so lost in a 30-year toxic relationship with drugs and alcohol. She has been in and out of jail for so long that eventually she hit rock bottom and found herself homeless. By the grace of God, she found a business card that led her to the Rescue Mission. Her life was changed the moment she called and was led to the Navigation Center. The Navigation Center helped place Rachel in a home. Thanks to these efforts, Rachel was in the Hope for Women program within a month.

Ten months later and Rachel is now faithfully attending church at Gateway and stays connected to the Hope for Women program. The program showed her that it is never too late. Now, Rachel is employed and says she has the opportunity to gain the respect of others. God has been restoring everything that was taken from her. She can now face her children and grandchildren without feeling ashamed or worthless. Rachel is grateful for people like you, who support the Mission and make it possible for the Hope for Men and Women program to help others find HOPE.