March 2022 • Newsletter
From the start, it seemed like Daniel was set up to fail.
At the tender age of twelve he was already abusing alcohol and marijuana. By thirteen, he was experimenting with methamphetamine. Addiction was a constant companion all the way into his late twenties.
“I was doing the weekend warrior thing for years – partying and doing drugs
where I could get them.”
Even becoming a father in 2004 wasn’t enough to slow Daniel down.
“I was just lost in my addiction; I never kept my promises. I was just out there running around.”
When prison forced him to sober up, he began to see what addiction had done to his life and to his family. Thankfully, your support was there to come Along Side Daniel in his moment of clarity – to help pick up the pieces of a shattered life and
transform this wayward father into a loving dad.
The first time in prison, Daniel found
Christ. But not long after he was
released, he began to slide back
into his old ways. The second time
Daniel landed in prison, he took it as a
second chance to do it right.
“I was looking for a place that would
fit what I believed in and help me
succeed. Then I met a brother on the
inside who is a graduate here now,
Chris McCrimmon. He told me about Along Side, how it was a community of like-minded people ready to help. It sounded amazing. I wrote to them right away.”
“Your support provided Daniel with a
mentor to walk Along Side and help this new Christian better prepare for life on the outside. By the time he arrived in August, Daniel was ready – and he’s thrived ever since.
“Amazing man, just beyond compare, amazing. Everything has gone so well since I’ve been here. I love the fellowship and the opportunity to just grow as a person. I got a great job and I’ve already gotten two promotions!”
Practical needs covered; Daniel still needed help learning to become a loving dad to his now 17-year-old son.
“Having people like Ken, Michael, and Woody as my elders reassures my heart that everything’s okay. The same way they’re loving me, I’m learning how to love my son the same way,” he said.
“When he’s not acting right and I want to step in and control it, I’m reminded how they didn’t do that to me. They let me be a person and grow at the pace I’m going to grow. It’s a learning curve for both of us.”
Thanks to friends like you, Daniel’s future is looking bright for him and his family. He’s lost all desire for the things of the past.
“To see how far I’ve come is a big thing for me. Before, I could never see a future. There was always a dead end. Now anything is possible,” Daniel says with a huge smile. “I was always wondering, ‘When’s it going to happen? When am I going to fall back again?’ But I have no fear that I’m going to go back now. That weight’s been lifted.”
