“Walking in the Light”
Stanley grew up in a close-knit Christian family. In addition to church activities, he spent his boyhood fishing, hunting, camping and farming on the land surrounding his peaceful rural home.
“It was a beautiful childhood,” he says. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
But sadly, something was missing.
As the sixth of 11 children, Stanley often felt invisible and overlooked, especially by his mother. The unresolved wound quietly shaped how he saw himself.
He excelled at sports – football, baseball, basketball, track and wrestling. He even dreamed of playing at the next level. Yet while he pushed himself physically, his self-esteem was fragile. Doubt crept in. He struggled to reach his full potential.
“I wanted to be loved so badly. I never felt like I was good enough.” 
As he grew older, he began making choices that pulled him away from the foundation of his happy, faith-filled childhood. He battled substance abuse and other destructive behaviors, which damaged his confidence even more.
Still, for years, he managed to hold a steady job, even rising to leadership roles. From the outside, he looked successful. Inside, addiction was tightening its grip.
Eventually, the facade collapsed.
Stanley lost his job… his relationships… his sense of purpose. He experienced homelessness, sleeping wherever he could, often among others who shared his harmful ways. One day, as he sought shelter from the wind and rain, the storm seemed to mimic what his life had become: Dark. Dreary. Chaotic. Exposed.
“I didn’t want to live like that,” he remembers. “I didn’t want to die like that.”
At the lowest point in his life, he cried out to the God he had known as a child.
When the weather improved, he packed his few belongings and began walking. He had no plan. He didn’t know where he was going. But he trusted God was taking him someplace better.
Stanley ended up in Jacksonville. With no resources, he lived on the streets for several days. Then he was approached by two men from the Mission’s outreach team, who welcomed him in for a meal. When he walked through our doors, he felt hope.
“I knew I’d finally arrived. I was where God intended for me to be.”
In addition to wholesome food and a safe, clean bed, Stanley also received an invitation to join our LifeBuilders Program. It was the opportunity he’d longed for.
Through the guidance of our spiritual counselors, Bible study, life skills development and adult education, Stanley regained his self-confidence and, most importantly, renewed his relationship with the Lord.
Stanley also began to heal. Not only from addiction, but from years of emotional pain. He embraced the power of forgiveness, especially toward his mother.
“I couldn’t walk around angry and still receive the peace God had for me.”
Grateful for the second chance he’d been given, Stanley poured himself into helping around the Mission – in security, maintenance, laundry – wherever needed. Now he’s confident he can achieve his full potential through serving God and others.
Today, Stanley lives with an “attitude of gratitude.” He is sober, active in church, saving toward a home of his own, and intentional about building a stable future.
Now feeling seen, valued and loved by God and those around him, he will continue to walk in the light of the Lord.
“I am thankful and blessed by God. I have a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food on my table, and peace in my soul. If I stay on the path God set out for me, my future is bright.”