summer newsletter andre

“The Mission gave me a place to trust God.”

André – like a lot of teenagers – began using drugs early in life. As an adult, however, his destructive habits landed him in prison. When he was released, he experienced a season of sobriety. But when his marriage fell apart, so did André. “I felt depressed, abandoned, and alone,” he says. He turned to what was familiar to deal with the pain, but the drugs cost him his job. “I didn’t want to work. I didn’t want to look for work. I did whatever I needed to do to obtain my drugs.” 

Yet throughout his struggles, André always sensed God’s presence with him. He began to hear God was calling him to a place where he could get the help he needed, and that place was Bridgeport Rescue Mission.

“All the while, God was nudging me to return to Him.” 

In our New Life Program, André embraced the message of God’s acceptance, and how that same forgiveness needed to be offered to those who had hurt him. It was his first step toward sobriety. In our Work Therapy Program, André asked to be placed in our kitchen to help with meals and Pantry, and that’s when he began to recover his passion for food. His love of cooking was a gift his mother had given him, and now it gave him a sense of belonging and a chance to give back to the community.

Because of your support, André is moving forward with his life – and helping others do the same!

André knows God has a plan that is being revealed as he steps forward with faith. “I’m so happy I chose to trust God with my life! The Mission has pointed me back to God and back to sobriety. I feel very privileged to have been at the Mission, where I got the tools I needed to be the man I was made to be.”

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