“Without the Mission’s donors, I honestly wouldn’t be where I am… This place has given me a fresh start.”
Growing up without his father in his life, Zachary struggled to feel loved and wanted… and those painful feelings followed him into adulthood.
“Emotionally, I didn’t realize how depressed I was,” he says. “I wasn’t a good parent… a good son. I didn’t realize all the people I was hurting around me.”
Over the years, Zachary attempted to numb his emotional pain by turning to substances, but they only hurt him more.
“I went in and out of addiction… in and out of homelessness,” he says. Despite many attempts to stay sober, he could never maintain it on his own. “It was just this vicious cycle repeating itself.”
“I didn’t have any peace or purpose in my life.”
After seeing several people he knew graduate from the Fresno Mission’s life-changing programs, Zachary wondered if this could possibly be the solution he needed to make a lasting change.
He is grateful for the Christ-centered classes and counseling here that have helped him heal from some of the emotional pain of his past and prepare for his future. “The Mission helped take all my worries away… and gave me time to just sit with Christ. I’m learning how much my life does matter, and that I’m a child of God.”
This fall, Zachary will graduate from our men’s Academy program, and he’s pursuing God’s purpose for his life! Today, he’s on staff at the Mission and taking classes to become a drug and alcohol counselor.
“I get to relate to guys in my situation and show them there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Seeing them succeed the way I’ve succeeded is so powerful.”
This Thanksgiving, Zachary is full of gratitude for the support of caring friends like you.
“Without the Mission’s donors, I honestly wouldn’t be where I am… This place has given me a fresh start.”
Zachary’s story appeared in the Fall 2022 edition of Mission Insider.