A family move can be difficult enough when you’re a kid. But moving from his childhood home in Puerto Rico to the huge metropolis of Chicago proved to be a bigger challenge to Berto than he could have ever imagined.

“It all started when my family moved to Chicago,” Berto says. “I was 7, and I had a really rough time. It was culture shock. It felt like a slap in the face. I grew really shy and socially awkward. I started drinking at 12. Suddenly, I was a different person, more outgoing, funny, sociable. Then, I didn’t stop drinking. It became my security blanket. I couldn’t function in public when I was sober. I didn’t know who I was sober.”

Over the years, drinking cost him friends, family, jobs, his apartment and finally his health. “I wanted to stop,” he says. “Every day, I went to the liquor store and, before I walked in, I started to gag because I wanted to stop so bad. But I just couldn’t. Then I ended up in the hospital, bleeding and dehydrated because of alcohol. Someone asked me if I wanted help, and I finally said, ‘yes.’”

Berto came to MRM and completely surrendered his life to Jesus. “It was hard,” he says. “I carried that blanket of alcohol all my life. I prayed to God for help before, but I could never give up that blanket. This time, God said, ‘Give it to me.’ I didn’t think I could do it, but I did. I gave up everything, 100%, to God.”

Berto has been sober for 10 months, and he’s learning more about God’s deep love for him. “Now, thanks to the Milwaukee Rescue Mission, I’m learning who I really am in Christ. And I like who I am. Please tell the donors how much they mean to me. They made this all possible. I wouldn’t be here without them.”