Eric needed a way to get off the streets for good.
“I was living on the streets and I was addicted to drugs and alcohol,” Eric says, “and I wanted to make a difference and change.” Living on the streets of downtown Kent, Eric was familiar with the Search and Rescue team from Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. They had been a consistent presence in his life for the past year, but when they showed up that night, things were different.
“I needed a way out so I needed help,” Eric says. “I confessed, God, I need your help again.”
Eric stepped into the Search and Rescue van, and off the streets, that night. Though the first few days were hard, Eric persevered and joined the Men’s Recovery Program on April 28, 2018. Now, more than a year later, his life is being transformed.
“I’m using what Is freely given to me,” Eric says, “or it’s what is already been gifted to me from the Lord … that’s refreshing because now I’m not relying on myself, I’m leaning on the Lord and His understanding.”
Not long after joining the program, Eric had the opportunity to visit his old friends from the streets. “Instead of being fed, I was giving food out,” he says. “They couldn’t believe that … who I once was and who I am now. People were crying and it was just really good that night.”
As Eric graduates, he plans to spend more time with Search and Rescue, giving back and reaching out to people, letting them know that God can do for them what He has done for him.