Mardell
“I’m keeping the Lord in my heart and trusting Him.”
Mardell grew up with his mom, brother and sister, while his dad was always on the road as a truck driver. “Childhood was challenging but happy,” he explains. He graduated from high school but not without struggles. “It was just traumatic trying to get through school,” he shares.
He turned to alcohol as a way to cope with his problems and tried to quit many times. “Once you’re a drinker, it’s hard to quit because you get that urge for it – you want that good feeling and you want alcohol to take away all your problems,” Mardell explains.
After relapsing at another shelter, Mardell needed a place to stay and went to Bread of Life Mission. “It was a whole different feeling,” he recalls, adding that it is less crowded and less strict. “They gave me a second chance,” he says.
“The LifeChange Recovery Program taught me to trust in the Lord, and He’ll be there for me.”
Mardell gets emotional when talking about the Lord – our faith-based environment has given him strength and guidance to stay sober. “It is helping me learn that having friends is good and having people who believe in the Lord is good. It keeps me stronger.”
Mardell knows that he can always count on the relationships he established here to help him any time he feels moments of weakness. “When I feel like I’m going to relapse, I’ll just give them a call and they’ll help me,” he says. “I’m thankful to the Mission because I have people here who care about me, love me and want me to succeed.”
This Christmas, Mardell is experiencing all the joy this season has to offer – because YOU believed in the power of community support and the promise of God’s unending love. “The Mission is helping me succeed by teaching me to stay in the Word of God, keep the Lord in my heart and to always trust in Him.”