My name is David. I grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After high school, I went into the military and served in Iraq. When I came home, I used the GI Bill and obtained a 4-year degree from Cal Poly. I thought I had my life on track, but I didn’t. Drugs ruled my life. What the drugs had hidden was a rage monster cultivated in my Ranger training. It was the problem underneath my meth problem. The law finally caught up to me in the worst spot possible—in my home, with my kids and wife completely afraid of the monster I had become. I was in supreme denial until those handcuffs hit my wrist and I was booked into jail.

When I was released from jail, I reported to Probation, which sent me to the Rescue Mission. I met people there who were on the front lines of picking me up from the depth of the depression, and I would not be where I am today without them. Eventually, I entered the Mission’s Hope for Men program, which really opened my eyes to the word and power of God. After looking back, I can see that God was already working in my favor--even while my eyes were still shut. This is what this testimony is all about. Merced Rescue Mission harnesses the power of hope, positivity, and GOD to help people like me who have completely lost their way if they are willing to change, even if it’s a little bit at a time.