Cliff grew up on the streets and as a teenager he got caught in the cycle of addiction that was started by his parents.
“My mom and dad, they were from the streets. They did drugs, prostitution, you name it. That’s all I’d ever known,” he says.
For years, Cliff was trapped in that cycle, too.
But when he was faced with divorce, losing custody of his kids, and homelessness, Cliff knew he had to make a change.
He fought through withdrawal to get sober. With his mind finally clear, he could see how horrible his life had become.
“One of the most horrific experiences in my life was being sober and homeless,” Cliff explains. “That was scary because everybody else, they found a mechanism to numb the pain.”
But Cliff was determined to keep moving forward. In an act of complete desperation, he came to the Mission.
“I said, ‘Man, let me go see if I can just get a bed and take a shower,’” he remembers.
Thanks to the generosity of friends like you, Cliff not only got a bed and a shower, but he also got hot meals, wise counsel and loving support that pointed him to Jesus and gave him hope to keep moving in the right direction.
“If the Mission was not here, I’d have been back out on the street corner because my hope was going out the window. . . The Mission allowed me to get focused.”
It only took five days and Cliff found a place to live. He moved out and thought that was the end of his time at the Mission. But God had other plans.
A few years later, Cliff came back to the Mission because he wanted to help others experience the same help, hope and healing that changed his life. Now he’s the Assistant Manager of the Men’s New Life Program.
“I came from sleeping on the mats downstairs to working in this office upstairs. I get to go help other people now. It’s my dream. This is my dream job,” he says gratefully.
“To save one life is to save five more,” Cliff says. Each life changed has a ripple effect that impacts many more!
“God worked on me so good, so fast, put me in the right place, at the right time. God redeemed me. Not only am I helping the guys in the program, but when my grandson needed a place to go I could step in and help . . . It’s changed the hearts of my kids toward me. Now I can be the example for them.”
Every time you offer transformation to a neighbor who is hurting, like Cliff, you empower that person to help others!
Transformed people, transform people. You can give a gift that starts a new ripple effect today!