Renewal Story: Patrick

“When I first came to UGM-TC I was a madman,” Patrick says. He had been on his own for six months after more than fourteen years in prison, and was struggling to maintain sobriety. He had already had another brush with the law and feared he would never be able to start over. But Patrick found a new beginning when his peer sponsor led him to UGM-TC.

“I still had anger issues,” Patrick recalls of his first nights at the Mission. “Pride, ego issues. But people worked with me.” Patrick joined the Men’s Program, where classes helped him deal with his anger and his addiction. “That’s going to keep me grounded,” he says.

Since coming to UGM-TC, Patrick is firmly grounded in his faith. “I was raised in the word of God,” he says. Attending chapel and Alpha classes has reaffirmed his conviction that Jesus is Lord. Patrick found the testimonies of other residents especially inspiring. “It’s amazing how God can transform a person into who He wants them to be!” 

With your support, Patrick is experiencing his own transformation. Several months sober, he is far from the “madman” he was when he arrived at the Mission. Instead, he looks forward to sharing his own testimony with young men. “They need guidance,” Patrick says. “If I can let them know where I’ve come from, the gangs and all the criminal activity I’ve participated in, I can steer them in the right direction.”

Patrick knows he could never have changed direction on his own. "I’m grateful God brought me to this place. I’m grateful to have people willing to take the time to help me look for a job and stay clean,” he says. “That’s awesome!”