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“We lost everything… I had nowhere to go but up.”

Duke grew up in a loving and happy home. His father was a carpenter and raised fancy walking horses. Life was good for the family of seven until disaster struck.  

“Dad went broke and we lost everything,” Duke recalls. “It was starting over from ground zero. I was the oldest child so it impacted me more than my siblings.”

The fear of failure followed Duke into adulthood and he turned to alcohol to ease the stress. When he was injured in a car accident, his drinking escalated and his worst fears came to fruition. He lost his business, his marriage ended and he experienced homelessness.

Finding himself at rock bottom, he says, “I had nowhere to go but up… but I didn’t know how to get back up.” He came to our door and humbly asked for help.

“They restructured my heart and mind… they got me focused again.”

Raised with a Christian upbringing, Duke embraced the faith-based teaching of our Discipleship Recovery Program. “Staying in the Word daily and getting my prayer life back together – those were the two things I needed most. When you’ve got your ducks in a row spiritually, you can conquer anything.” 

He also appreciates the rules and guidance we provide to help him stay on course, and he shares them with the men he leads in daily chores. “Not only does it give me more confidence, but I’m trying to keep structure in their lives, too.” 

Most importantly, he says, “my time here has taught me that I still am a viable piece of society, and I’m still usable by the Lord. I see a stable future when I leave here.”

Thank you for sharing God’s love with Duke this Easter. His life has been renewed through the joy and hope of the Gospel! “When all hope is lost, you can come here and find your hope again. Sometimes you just need a little jump start.”

To read the most recent issue of Transformations, click to download.