Tom’s Story
Tom spent 17 years in the military serving his country, 13 of those years in Special Forces. “I never had a problem with alcohol growing up or when I was in the military,” he says. “But when I started having PTSD nightmares, I started drinking to push that down.” When the drinking didn’t work, Tom turned to drugs, and finally to rehab.
“I got out of rehab, but I just knew I wasn’t ready to go home yet. I had already started this journey of getting closer to Christ, and I wanted to go somewhere to help me continue that journey,” he remembers.
Thanks to your support, that place was Lexington Rescue Mission. Tom’s first stay was seven months, and during that time he got a job and an apartment. “I was doing great,” he says. When he lost his painting business during Covid, you made it possible for the Mission to help again.
“I feel like I have a purpose now.”
“When I first came in, I was like, ‘A couple of weeks is all I need.’ And they said, ‘We don’t care how long you need.’” Tom started working with the Mission’s lawn care team and was then
offered a job as house coordinator for our House of Hope, a sober living home for men who are trying to get back on their feet.
“I fell in love with this place the first time I was here,” Tom says. “Now they’ve given me a chance to give back what they gave me, like mentoring the guys. I feel like I have a purpose now. They care so much about you, everybody here. They teach you how to live the right way. Everybody here will do what they can to make sure you succeed.”
Today, Tom is back in school working for his certification as a drug and alcohol counselor, with the goal of helping others facing the problems he has overcome.
To partners like you, who support the Mission with your gifts and prayers, Tom says, “Thank you for your donations. Thank you so much for what you do, because you make it possible for the Mission to help the people they help. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.”
Thank you for helping Tom and others like him through your prayers and generosity!
