Meet Silas

“Before I was broken, and now I am reborn.”

Silas had a difficult childhood. He suffered his father’s abuse before his dad was sent to prison. His mom cared more about her boyfriends than Silas… leaving him scared and alone, trying to care for himself.

“My mom didn’t want anything to do with me, so at 14, I ended up in foster care. I turned to drugs and alcohol to deal with the depression, hurt and pain.”

After leaving foster care, Silas reconnected with his father and they moved in together. But his father also struggled with drugs, and Silas fell deeper into addiction.

The turning point came when Silas was in jail. “One of the guys kept nudging me toward Christ. I started praying and asked God to get me out of this.” That’s when Silas decided to try the Mission.

As soon as he walked into Holland Rescue Mission, everything changed for Silas.

“I was hoping to find a new way of living,” he says, with a rueful grin. “Because I know the way I was doing it wasn’t working out at all.”

In our care, Silas found healing for past hurts. A few months into our long-term recovery program he gave his life to the Lord – and really began to change.

“It’s helping me not be angry all the time. They’re giving me tools and coping mechanisms to handle difficult situations without drugs or alcohol.”

Silas works for our thrift store, helping to pick up deliveries of donations from homes. And he’s restoring relationships with his family members, who are thrilled at the changes God is working in his life.

“The Mission took me off the path of following the world and doing what the world wants, and put me on the narrow path following Jesus.”

Silas is beyond grateful for this second chance in life – and says it’s thanks to the love you’ve shown for a neighbor like him. “It’s nice seeing people come together in a community where everyone wants you to get better. They don’t care who you are or what you did… you’re welcome here.”

To read this issue of Changing Lives, click here.