Billy suffered through homelessness and addiction for years when he finally cried out to God for help from a prison cell…
There was a time when Billy had everything a man could want: a wife and children, a thriving business and a beautiful home and cars. Unfortunately, he also had a dark secret: meth had seized control of his life.
In a moment of weakness, Billy tried the drug because demand on his woodworking business was through the roof, he wasn’t getting any sleep and he knew meth would help him stay awake and work harder. “I thought I could manage it and get away with it,” Billy remembers. “I was wrong. It cost me everything.”
It didn’t take long before Billy’s life descended into chaos; his family lost their home and his business collapsed. When his wife found out, she threatened to divorce him. When he relapsed, instead of following through on her threat, Billy’s wife chose to use with him.
Homelessness, Jail and New Hope
It wasn’t long before the couple had to give up custody of their children to the grandparents. They wound up on the streets, surviving for years — sometimes together, often apart — enduring extreme temperatures, hunger, thirst and misery. Billy repeatedly went to jail, and even escaped once. “All the cops were looking for me, there were helicopters flying around and I was all over the news,” Billy remembers. He found his wife, but she turned him in!
After yet another arrest, Billy finally began pleading with God for help. Upon release, he called rehab centers all over town, but not one would help — until he reached Phoenix Rescue Mission.
“Coming here was such a relief,” Billy says. “I was carrying so much baggage, so many emotions. I had given up on everyone and everything. The people here helped me dig to the root of my problems and focus on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
He continues: “The teachers and staff at the Mission care so much about us. There is daily prayer, devotions, brotherhood, fellowship — it all works together to help us get better… here I learned that our Lord cares for me. My life had no meaning prior to this.”
The Lord Rebuilds a Broken Life
Today, Billy is transformed. He works full time at the Mission and loves pouring into the men recovering here. “It’s truly a blessing to watch these gentlemen grow to be better men for God, themselves and society,” he says. Even more amazingly, God has restored Billy’s family! “My wife, children and I are doing great. We have become a beautiful family again.”
