Enrico bitterly regrets trying alcohol at age 14.
“I hung around the wrong types of people, trying to fit in. Whatever the group was doing, I did. It just took hold of me more than the others.”
Enrico had other close family members who suffered from alcohol addiction, and he fell into the same vicious cycle. He had trouble keeping jobs, his marriage was short-lived, drinking strained his relationship with his son, and he spent time homeless on the streets. After years of struggle, he finally hit rock bottom.
“My mom wouldn’t talk to me. I couldn’t see my son. I used to stay in garages and abandoned houses. I didn’t have anywhere to go.”
The day he walked into your Evansville Rescue Mission, everything changed for Enrico.
“Coming here was when I realized I needed to change,” he says, smiling. “The Mission took me in and gave me hope for the future.”
In our care, Enrico is learning what it’s like to be clean and sober. “I didn’t know how to enjoy life without being under the influence. It’s like I’m learning how to live again…. figuring out who I am.”
Through our P.A.C.E.S. (Purpose, Accountability, Christ, Education, Service) discipleship program, he is building a strong foundation for his life. He is thankful for the support and encouragement of those he has met here, and their belief in him.
Enrico has also recommitted his life to Christ. “Spiritually, I was broken. I had lost all hope. Now I read my Bible, meditate, and pray for direction.”
He works in our kitchen and is repairing relationships with his family. He still has a long way to go, but he knows the Lord will be with him every step of the way.
This year, Enrico will be celebrating Christmas as a new creation, filled with the great joy of God’s love. “Everybody needs a chance. Evansville Rescue Mission helps people who are broken and shattered. They’ve given me something to believe in.”
