Finding Hope and a Future

Tim enjoyed a successful life. He was a firefighter and an EMT for eight years before graduating cum laude with a degree in Criminal Justice and Admin­istration. After that, he landed a job as a probation parole agent for the state. He even had the opportu­nity to travel to many places around the world.

Life was good– that was until his life took a drastic turn a little over a year ago. Burned out from the demands of his job, he turned in his resignation without having another job lined up. He was forced to live off of his savings and ended up renting a flat above his older brother. They had never had a good relationship with one another so the arrangement was doomed from the start. Tim started drinking a lot. So much, that his brother kicked him out of the apartment. With nowhere else to turn and his life quickly spiraling out of control, Tim stayed in a ho­tel for a couple of weeks where he remembers trying to drink himself to death. “I remember drinking so much that I just…I didn’t want to wake up. I hoped not to wake up,” he recalls. “But, something told me that there’s something better than this.”

He had known about the Milwaukee Rescue Mission because he had referred his past clients to Safe Harbor, the men’s shelter, when they didn’t have anywhere else to stay. After sobering up for a few days, he came to MRM’s doors where he received what he calls “amazing Christ-like compas­sion.” Staff made sure he had new clothes, a shower and a warm meal. But Tim was so sick from alcohol withdrawal that an ambulance had to be called. “The last thing I remember is going down the front steps of the Mission on a stretcher, and then I woke up a week later in intensive care, strapped to a bed because I was having seizures.”

After he was well again, he returned to Safe Harbor. He heard about the LifeSkills program that was offered and decided to join. Tim remembers his initial struggles and the staff that encouraged him to persevere. “For the first three months, I was just really bitter and angry. There are a few key people that kept me here and took my ranting and raving for what it was – a desperate plea for help.”

After those first few months, Tim started to see a real change. “Things started to fall into place, the fog started to clear and I could see God doing things – working in my life,” he says. “I remember thinking that I always wanted a deep relationship with the Lord, but I was always at arm’s reach. I was never able to grasp it, but here I was able to do that. A verse that has been especially powerful to me is Philippians 2:3-4: ”Do nothing out of selfish ambi­tion or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others.’”

Now, Tim has a fresh start with a renewed sense of hope and a bright future ahead of him. You can find him helping in the kitchen where he enjoys working alongside volunteers. When asked what he would say to MRM’s supporters he says, “Wow. A huge thank you. You made this all possible. And there’s other people coming after me. Keep giving your time, your money, your efforts and your prayers.”

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV