James received food and safe shelter, but most importantly, he received ongoing support for his addiction struggles. “To come here and see all the love that they show you and know God loves you and He forgives you…it was a life-changing event.”

At the height of his addiction and in his early stages of restoration, James admitted that he sometimes thought about suicide. In his previous program, a secular one, James says, “I was just there. I felt as though I was just existing.” But at the Durham Rescue Mission, he was able to reconnect to his faith. That’s because James was offered spiritual counseling and was able to attend worship services. He opened his heart and God made a miraculous change in his life—and it’s because of loyal partners like you who help keep our doors open.

When he sat down for his first hot meal at the Durham Rescue Mission, James knew this time it was going to be different. As everyone bowed their heads to pray, he was reminded of how meals felt at home with a loving family. “That was a really good sign for me. I had a sense that everything was going to be okay,” he says.

You help make a difference in the lives of people like James

Every gift means someone like James can experience safe shelter, nourishing meals, vocational training, spiritual counseling, recovery support, and Christian care. James humbly told us, “I’m so blessed they accepted me here.”

James recently graduated from our Victory Program, which helps people overcome addiction and rejoin the workforce. He’s so humbled and grateful. It’s because of compassionate friends like you that we can provide life-transforming programs.

Today, James works as a lead supervisor over eight other residents and aspires to become a staff member at the Durham Rescue Mission so he can further help other addicts. He makes sure everything runs smoothly but is never too busy to take time to encourage others to stay with the program.

“I tell them, ‘You need to stay…It will change you. It truly, truly will…”

Would you like to help someone like James discover their path to restoration and spiritual healing? Mail your gift today or visit us online at durhamrescuemission.org.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8