I got involved with the wrong men. They try to tear me down. They were very controlling. I wanted out but had nowhere to go. I prayed to God that if he would find me and my kids a way out I would do whatever was necessary. The next day I called the Dove Center at the Macon Rescue Mission with tears in my eyes and loneliness in my heart and nowhere to go. I called and talked to a lady named Ms. Vernice and she asked me what was wrong. I told her and she said that there was a lady that was coming that same day but it wouldn’t hurt to try. So I called and talk to a lady name Ms. Renee and she told me to be there at two o’clock and I did and that was when the miracle happened.

At first it was hard following the rules because I never had to follow any. But as the weeks passed I humbled myself and I asked God to come into my heart and save me. My faith was not that strong before, but something in this place moved my spirit. I know it had to be done. I’m so grateful for this place. It’s been a safe place for me and my kids. I really was truly blessed to be able to enter into these doors. As I continue to grow I will always remember this place and where it led me in my future.

My own thought of this place is that every woman who enters into these doors may be truly blessed by the spirit of God.

Sometime the road get hard, but just keep going forward
Sometime the road get hard but never look back
And when you think about looking back, think about your children
And they will put you back on track.

This is the turning point for us and I really want to be one of the winners.

There is nothing more for me to add. This is what it is all about. May you be blessed by reading what God is accomplishing in the lives he is touching here at the Dove Center. Julie

Julie Adair | Director
Renee Barreth | Director of Women & Children Services
Vernice Chappell | Evening Supervisor

When I got back here I found a job and started working as a security guard at CGTC. I worked there about two years and the worst came—I got fired and that’s when I became homeless. I lived under the I-75 bridge and I rode my bike downtown for a couple of days and that’s where I heard about the Macon Rescue Mission. So I rode my bike back here and asked if I could spend the night and they gave me three days. After the third day was up I waited in the front to talk to Mr. Randy Jackson. After talking to him he let me in the program.

My life has changed a lot since I’ve been here at the Rescue Mission. I spend most of my free time in the chapel because I really like to read the Bible. My favorite verse is Psalm 1:3, “That person [whose delight is in the law of the LORD] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.”

Since I’ve been here I have gotten to know some really good guys here and I can call all them my friends. I look forward to having my own place after I go through aftercare at River Edge. The Mission has given me the tools to live a normal life. The staff is wonderful here and I thank the Mission for giving me a chance.

I got a job at Robins Air Force Base because I’m a sheet metal mechanic. In the month that followed I suffered from severe depression as a result of untreated addiction. My depression was so bad that I lost my job and ended up in a hospital.

While there I tried to find a treatment center I could go to that would help me learn how to live life without using drugs and being depressed. I could not find anywhere to go because of financial reasons.

I had heard of the Macon Rescue Mission and my aunt brought me here on a Friday and I was told to come back on Tuesday and a spot would be available then. I stayed with my mother until Tuesday.

After arriving here I had to attend chapel six days a week. During these services God really started to tug on my heart. On December 10, 2010 I was attending RUI (Reformers Unanimous International, which is an addictions program that we are allowed to attend) and I allowed Jesus to save me. Since that time I have grown closer to God every day.

My future at this time in my life will be determined by God’s will. I am currently looking for a job and praying daily that I am able to seek out God’s plan.

During my time at the Macon Rescue Mission I have learned many verses of the Bible I can use in my daily life, none more important to me than Psalm 1: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scournful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (verses 1 and 2).

In closing I would like to thank the Macon Rescue Mission, its staff, fellow residents, and donors for being a helping hand to a new life for me.

*Name changed for confidentiality purposes.

Not only was I required to memorize it but my Mother quoted it often in my childhood because of my unkind attitudes and actions with my older siblings on numerous occasions! I did not know at the time that my Mother was laying a foundation of Christian love in me that would encompass decades of my life and remind me often that I must be kind and forgiving (especially to those I really, really, don’t like) because Jesus died for me so that God could forgive my sinful heart!

As with you, I’ll bet you too have had to do more kindnesses and forgiving in your Christian walk than you really want to count. Being Christ-like isn’t the easiest way to live, is it? However, we must strive to do the very things that our sinful nature does not want us to do. We must work to be more like Christ.

So why am I telling you this? Because several of our clients in the Dove Center are learning this very thing! We have three women who are memorizing the second version of Ephesians 4:32. You know, the New King James Version that tells us to be kind and compassionate to each other. Yes, that one. Not only are they memorizing this important bible verse but they are putting it into action! Each day they are giving a daily report of having done one kind deed to or for another client in the Dove Center.

Not only do they know this Bible verse but they are living this Bible verse. They are helping each other out for example by “Helping watch the children for a little while”; “Waited and let the new client walk to daycare with me”; “I gave the new girl some baby clothes”; “I washed the dishes for someone”; “Washed the new client’s clothes and welcomed her”; “I helped pack things for the baby to go to daycare”; and so on.

It’s easy to tell others to love one another and to be kind and compassionate to one another, but until we put our knowledge into action, we will never be the light and salt that God has required of each of his children. If you believe in your heart that Christ died for you and that God raised him from the dead, then you too must take up your cross and follow him and that means being kind one to another.

Do I think the Dove Center clients will understand this and follow it for the rest of their lives? I am praying they do, because if they learn this lesson, then they will be open to more life lessons that God will be teaching them. Joyce Meyer has reminded us that God will make you go ‘round the mountain over and over again until you finally learn what he is trying to teach you. Oh Heavenly Father, I don’t want to keep going around the same mountain over and over! Do any of us?

Special blessings to you all as we as Christ followers strive to set an example for a sinful world.

Please continue to help us as we help women and children of all ages through a critical, pivotal point in their lives. If you would like to help the Dove Center specifically, just designate Dove Center on your gift. We cannot do it without you!

Julie Adair | Director
Renee Barreth | Director of Women & Children Services
Vernice Chappell | Evening Supervisor

It was at a Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meeting that I let some people know what was going on with me. I couldn’t believe what happened next. These people went to work on my behalf to find me a place to stay, and that place was the Macon Rescue Mission. It blew my mind that I was not alone, it wasn’t who I wanted to help me, but who I needed the help to come from. The next day I was to report to the Mission, and that night one of the people from NA let me sleep at their house.

The next day was one of the most important moves I ever made in my life at that time. That’s entering the Macon Rescue drug program. A chance at LIFE. I thought I would just get a bed, some food, water, a change of clothes but I got much more than I thought. The number one thing is finding out about God—how He loved me and could change my life if I let Him. I started learning how to trust people and that everyone is not out to hurt me. In the NA and AA meetings I am learning I don’t have to use drugs, I can live life without the use of drugs.

Being here at the Mission has helped me get on top of my health, because I was unhealthy the way I was living. Instead of blaming others I had to take a good look at myself and find that I was to blame for everything. I am grateful that God saw it fit for me to come to the Mission, because that’s when God stepped in. I am looking forward to the future because I will have God in everything I do, that don’t mean I will be perfect but I will be better than I was. Because of my stay at the Mission I have a different outlook on life, and I would like God to use me to help others in need of help.

The Bargain Center provides over 50% of the Mission’s operating revenue, allowing us to continue serving those in need. Your support truly makes a difference! Thank you!

At 16 I was seriously injured and suffered a massive laceration to my neck. The aftermath of the incident left me unable to attend school regularly. After some time, I completely lost all interest in school and never returned.

Not long after quitting school I began to experiment with alcohol and drugs, hanging around a much older crowd of friends and committing petty crimes. At 29 I was in bigger trouble with the law for which I spent time in jail several times from the 80’s into the early 90’s.

After years of struggling and being homeless I found my life in total disarray. Strung out on drugs and living in abandoned houses, I knew I was at rock bottom. One night I was staying at a house with no electricity and no furnishings, and started to cry out for help, praying for something better in life. The next day I found myself walking through the doors of the Macon Rescue Mission.

After talking with Mr. Jackson, I got my chance and was welcomed with opened arms. I began to seek God, attend N.A. and A.A. meetings and made efforts to restore relationships with family and friends and even added some new ones. I would like to thank God first for his forgiveness and love; secondly I’d like to thank Mr. Jeff Nicklas and Mr. Randy Jackson and all of the staff here at the Mission for helping me during my recovery and showing me a new path to life.

The life I have now is irreplaceable. My recovery and relationship with God and the people around me keep me going every day, although I know my recovery is up to me…I don’t need drugs and alcohol to live my life anymore. I thank God and the Macon Rescue Mission.