“I was living in North Carolina and my life was a mess. I had come to the end of knowing what to do so I called my daughter who was living in Merced. While talking to her she handed the phone to her friend Tracey who was in the Hope for Men program at the Rescue Mission. He asked me over and over, 'Are you done? Are you done?' I answered, 'Yes.' He said he would call me the next day.

When he called, he asked me the question, 'Are you done?' again, and I answered, 'Yes.' He said I needed to get a ride to the airport, and he had a ticket for me to fly to California and that he would pick me up at the airport and bring me to the Rescue Mission where my life would be changed.

I came and went through the Hope for Men program at the Rescue Mission. My life was transformed, and I am so grateful for the way God has changed my life.

Since graduating from the Mission, my life has been blessed in so many ways: I have learned to pray and to thank God for all that He does for me. I have been blessed with so many things like getting a driver's license, SSI, medical insurance and my own apartment.

I have been able to serve the Mission as driver and now I have been at the front desk for about three years, first as a volunteer and about a year ago I became a paid staff member. I come to work every day where I am at the front desk welcoming people who come to the Mission for help and welcoming those who come to make donations to the Mission. I have found real joy in being able to assist in connecting people with the help that they need to change their lives for the better."