January 2018
"I grew up in a very religious family and I always knew that God loved me. Growing up I always had a belief in the Lord, that is how I was raised. As a child I moved from Wyoming to England, Germany, back to England, and Sacramento. When I was about 10, my mom got cancer in her kidney, it was removed, and she seemed OK. After a while the doctor realized it had spread to her lung and liver. My mom decided she would rather die in peace than go through chemo again. At that age, I didn't know what to do other than try to comfort my mom. I was with my mom every day, reading to her. While at a celebration for my 6th grade graduation, I got a call about my mom. By the time I showed up she was being taken out on a gurney and on her way to the morgue, and that was the last time I saw my mom. That is when I started going downhill.
At age 22, my best friend Daniel killed himself. I felt it was my fault. I am the one who told him I was moving, and he was on his own. When I got the call that he had killed himself, it was too much for me. I kept doing my own thing, living how I thought I should live. I was lost and did not think God cared about me at all. I moved back to my hometown and my gradual drinking turned into having seizures. I drank so much that if I didn't drink in the morning I would go into shock. I ended up homeless for two years until, luckily, I got arrested. My brother knew the court and I was ordered to the Merced County Rescue Mission. At first, I was just happy to be out of jail, after a while I understood God put me there for a reason. I came to understand that God had a purpose for me, and that I had to turn my life over to him. I learned to look for the doors he opened for me, that led me to my beautiful wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Genevieve. I worked my way up to Director or Program and Operations and I feel blessed to have helped so many others going through the programs at the Mission. I know I am not perfect, but the Mission helped me realize that there is nothing I can do without God. God is the one who opened the doors to where I am in life. God will lead you to where you need to be, you just must be willing to walk through the door."
Tim Adam, Director of Program & Operations, Merced County Rescue Mission
