Meet Carl
Thanks to you…
Carl has been given a life-changing gift this Christmas.
“The Mission gave me the first Bible I’ve ever had…”
“The Lord showed me a different way to live.”
Carl and his fiancée left Michigan and moved to Florida in search of a better, slower-paced life. Then the pandemic hit.
“Immediately, neither one of us were working. We were struggling and stressed, so we fell back into some old habits,” he says.
Carl has struggled with drinking since he first took a sip at just 12. His parents were alcoholics, and “there was always alcohol in our house… and I fell into addiction.”
Carl experienced several stretches of sobriety but would backslide when times got tough. Recognizing that they needed help, Carl and his fiancée moved back to Michigan and came straight to Holland Rescue Mission on the recommendation of her sister.
“It appealed to me because the program here is Christian-based. I was like, ‘Well, nothing else has worked to change my thinking or habits.’ I didn’t know what to expect but I wanted relief.”
“At the Mission, I found out who God and Jesus Christ are. That’s knowledge I didn’t have before and I’m grateful.”
Carl entered our Gateway Discipleship Program and learned about the Lord for the first time. He surrendered his heart to God and experienced total transformation.
“They gave me the first Bible I’ve ever had. The stories and teachings really grabbed my heart. I feel the presence of the Lord in my life now.”
Carl is healing from old behaviors and learning how to walk with the Lord. He finds joy in reading the Bible and starting and ending each day in prayer.
“Physically, I feel the healthiest I’ve been in 20 years. Emotionally, I’m more grounded. I’m growing spiritually continually. Daily.”
He and his fiancée plan to get married after graduation, using the skills they’ve learned here to find stable employment and a place to live.
It’s going to be a Christmas filled with joy for Carl and his fiancée – and they are grateful to you for this wonderful gift of a new life. “I’m thankful that this place is here… it’s given me a different outlook. This has been life-changing for me.”
To read his story in the Holiday 2021 issue of Changing Lives, click here.