David was headed in a direction he didn’t want to go. “I was bouncing around, hanging out with the wrong people, drinking and stuff, and I got real tired of it. I knew I needed help,” he says. On Thanksgiving Day 2020, he was welcomed into Raleigh Rescue Mission to begin changing his course.
David was quarantined immediately for 14 days due to COVID safety protocol, and he admits he had a lot of time to think. The staff convinced him he was a good candidate for the New Life Plan, and David decided to stick it out. Now he encourages fellow clients to do the same.
“I felt like God got me into this place for a reason,” reflects David. “I’d heard about Jobs for Life and I was interested. I learned so much in that class about how I could apply stories from the bible to my own life. I went to work at the Thrift Store for vocational training and I proved I could show up every day and be good at a real job, a challenging job.”
David landed a similar position in Operations at The Green Chair Project, doing what he loves: receiving and picking up donations, making deliveries, working with a team and meeting customers. Analia Wehe-Lehmann, Director of Logistics and David’s supervisor, reports that things are going well.
“David’s working out great,” Analia attests. “He’s dedicated. He transitioned into the role very quickly, and brought job skills that he was able to transfer to us. He’s a good team player, and he embraces our Mission and Vision. When you work for a nonprofit, you have to do that. It’s really a calling to want to serve the community in this way.”
David is saving nearly 100% of his income now, recently purchasing a car from Knox Auto with the help of the Mission and socking away funds for an apartment. He participates in Celebrate Recovery twice a week and attends worship services that are lived streamed from Vintage Church. As he completes daily devotions in his room at the Mission, he frequently telephones his mom to help him understand difficult bible passages.
“We have to humble ourselves. When you sign that paper saying I can do this program, no need to complain about it, let’s just go do it. The Mission is very very clean, it’s a nice facility. There’s Christianity here. The staff prays with me and for me, a lot. We all support each other.”
David says he’d like to retire with The Green Chair Project. “They treat me like family, treat their staff and their customers with dignity and respect, just like the Mission does. I have an awesome job and I’m doing good in the community. I haven’t seen my family in Alabama in six years, and now I’m going to be able to visit them. I can afford to invite my friend to have breakfast.”
“The Mission helped me like they said they would,” says David with a big smile. “All I had to do was be willing to change.”
We thank God for you, David. Congratulations on your New Life.