I Was Once Where They Are

“Jesus had been with me through it all; I just didn’t have my eyes open."

Danny, now a Life Recovery Counselor, once lived in what he referred to as a place of depravity, living a very passive lifestyle ruled by poor choices and severed relationships, without direction or purpose. He was living day to day, surviving. “I grew up with a pretty good foundation and understanding of Christianity, but I chose not to follow. I took the path of least resistance,” Danny says.

In early adulthood, it was easy to be distracted by what the world says you need to be, and the main priority of salvation and loving Jesus and others gets forgotten. As his addiction issues grew, Danny became more and more hopeless until a moment of divine intervention, when God spoke to him and exposed his future if he continued on that path.

“He called me to do something different with my life, to seek forgiveness and trust in Him.”

He reached out to his sister, whom he thought would be the best person to offer guidance. She made a few phone calls to learn about UGM and lined him up with a case manager, and he checked into the UGM Men’s Shelter in Spokane. “My grandmother is the godliest woman I know. … To have that foundation of what genuine love looks like, when I was called to come to UGM, there was security in that—I had those principles and a good foundation, and it was there waiting for me when I put my selfishness aside and started living for others over myself.”

One thing that was extremely important and impacted him was understanding community and the benefits of living with other men, relating with them, and getting sound counsel. “I felt so safe and supported here. It was reconfirmed to me that God intentionally brought me here by my counselor and phase brothers.” He expressed how challenging and sacrificial it is to come into a new environment, a new city, and leave everything behind.

“But I knew if I wanted to recover, I needed to make some drastic changes. … I reinvested in my walk and relationship with God. Getting plugged in with a church and developing a church family was critical for my recovery. Being around healthy people: that is a support everyone needs. … I wouldn’t be here at all if it weren’t for a lot of smart, wise, caring people. You need support and mentorship.” He says many men do not experience that kind of environment prior to UGM. “It’s foreign to them—the support system, the education and knowledge of Christianity, the relational aspect of knowing Jesus. That is the most important piece of the entire puzzle: that fundamental loving relationship with Jesus to be able to transform."

The hardest part of recovery is putting aside false beliefs of “Am I good enough?” “Do I deserve forgiveness?” “Am I destined for a preestablished lifestyle based on my experiences, or do I have the strength and courage to pursue something else that gives me purpose, brings me joy, and helps me in my own recovery journey?”

He says UGM’s aftercare gives you the environment to practice what you learn, to take risks, to work things out. They work with you on getting a job, establishing housing, and building relationships outside of these walls, so when the transition happens, you’re ready. They see you through.

Danny experienced several things reconfirmed God’s presence and removed any doubt, genuine love being a major theme throughout his time here at UGM. “My interactions with staff and the privilege I had to get to know them, to see the genuine joy and love they experience, and the tranquility they emitted doing God’s work and living out their calling—that was something I wanted for myself.”

At that point, he was already telling everyone about how much he was enjoying the recovery program. “It’s like watching a good movie and telling everyone, ‘You gotta see this!’ We live in a hurting world ruled by sin, where there are people just like me who could benefit and have a completely different scope and life by experiencing the life recovery program.”

That is what he says opened up his heart and mind to pursue helping others struggling with addiction. “My capacity and love to teach and relate to people were established here and grew throughout my time in the program. I knew before I commenced that God called me to be a support in some capacity. … Glory to God that I’ve been on the receiving side. It was nothing I did. The only thing I did was give up control and say, ‘God, what do you want from me? How can I be of service?’”

“I am blessed to be a messenger now, to share my experience, and to hopefully captivate others to experience it for themselves. That was a huge reason I came back. I love where I was working, but without the freedom to talk about Jesus and salvation, the biggest piece of the puzzle was missing. And I felt that was a disservice to the people I was working with, bringing a totaled car and fixing the outside, but not touching the engine under the hood.”

Danny wants the community to understand the importance of living out your calling and using the God-given attributes to expand His Kingdom, to glorify Him, and to allow more people to know Him and the saving grace He provides. “If we are purposeful about extending grace and God’s love, then we will see lives transformed. … Every day, we see hurting people in our city, dealing with homelessness, abuse, mental health, and addiction. We know the need is there. You don’t have to pursue a degree in counseling or be a major donor to make a difference. The little things go a long way. Lives are transformed here. Sometimes just saying hello and listening to somebody, having a conversation and truly caring, makes a huge difference.”

To those seeking healing, and to those working on their recovery, Danny wants you to know: “God always provides a way out. There is never something presented to us that we cannot overcome. He gives us the strength if we ask. You look at some of the apostles, like Paul, and how his life was completely transformed. God can take anything and make it into something beautiful, especially when, with hard work and clear guidance, you can turn your life around.”

Danny joyfully proclaims that his life now is completely centered around Christ.