“I was living on the street, eating out of trash cans, living in abandoned buildings,” Dennis says, shaking his head at the awful memory. He had hit rock bottom, and even thought about ending it all . . .

That’s when a friend told Dennis about Nashville Rescue Mission. He said it was the place to go if he was ready to change his life forever. Addiction had taken everything from Dennis, but there was still enough of him left to hear the truth in the counsel he received.

“I came to Nashville Rescue Mission and I was determined,” Dennis says.

“I was in a dark place . . .  so dark I didn’t even want to look at myself in the reflections of the windows downtown,” he says. “I didn’t want to see myself because I knew I was living beneath what God had planned for my life.”

So many times before, Dennis had tried to leave the drugs behind, but it didn’t last.

“You can’t build anything if it’s not on a firm foundation. Nashville Rescue Mission gave me the foundation to start the journey to build my life. And I was serious about it.”

A Life Transformed by God!

The Life Recovery Program here at Nashville Rescue Mission helped Dennis make critical changes that led to a better quality of life. In a nurturing environment that reflects the love of God, Dennis learned how recovery involves every aspect of his life—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social.

Free from addiction, Dennis is charging forward, ready to serve. “My mind could have been gone—I could have been gone—but I finished my undergrad in Legal Support and Services with a 3.96 grade point average. Now, I’m in school for my master’s degree.”

“All things have become new. God is positioning me to use my life to help someone else. God has never forsaken me. The Scripture that I stood on was, ‘All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose’” (Romans 8:28).

“If I had stayed on the streets, I’d probably be dead,” Dennis says, blinking back the tears. “I’ll never forget Nashville Rescue Mission, where lives are being changed, transformed.”

“Now, I’m in a season where it’s time for me to give back. That’s why I wanted to be a lawyer, but I think Pastoral Counseling is a better fit because I can reach out to people who are going through what I went through. I can tell them to give the Lord a chance and let people know about the goodness of God. That’s my whole mission now. I didn’t go through all this stuff just for nothing.”

Thank you for partnering with Nashville Rescue Mission to share meals, help, and God’s LOVE with neighbors like Dennis now!