"Thank you to the Mission for helping to completely change my life and thank you for donating from the generosity of your heart!"

My name is Santana, and I grew up in Puerto Rico. I moved to New York in 1994, but my family life was very disruptive and dysfunctional. I always knew that something felt “off”, but I couldn’t really figure out what the truth was. Eventually, I found out that the man my mother said was my father was not my true father. She had been lying to me my whole life. All I needed was real love from my mother, and I wanted her to apologize for how much she hurt me. I didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere, so I decided to go out on my own when I turned 13.
Though now I can see that God carried me through every stage of my life, I had to go through some tough times. I turned to drugs to help me cope with being alone. I started struggling with PTSD and my mental health. I fell into the wrong crowd because I was looking for the acceptance and love that I never got growing up. I didn’t believe in God, and I felt like I was better off figuring things out by myself.
Seven years ago, I made the decision to get clean because I knew my drug use was negatively impacting my life. I thank God that I have been able to stay clean. I moved to Rhode Island three years ago to try and reconcile with my mother, but it didn’t work out. I didn’t know where to turn or what to do. My doctor gave me some information about the Mission and told me that they had a shelter there. I didn’t know if there would be any long-term solutions for me there, but I decided to go for just one night and see what happened.
Once I got there, I quickly learned about the Road to Recovery Men’s Program. When I heard about it, my heart started racing and I knew I was supposed to sign up. I felt like God had sent me there to clear up a lot of issues in my life that I was confused about. Once I started, I could see the work that God was doing in me, and I didn’t want to give up. Now, 11 months later, I am so glad that I stayed. The Mission brought me back to church and reestablished my relationship with God. When I started applying the lessons I learned in the classes and in counseling, I started to see a difference in myself. I see now how His grace carried me through all those difficult
times that I couldn’t see my way out of. God has given me the family that I have been looking for my entire life at the Mission. I don’t take any of my blessings for granted now. I never want to go backwards to where I came from, and I know that starts with fixing myself and the issues that brought me here.
I’m almost finished with the program, and I am currently completing my internship as a resident assistant in the shelter. I love helping people because I can relate to where they have been. I want to show them that this is not all there is for them. There is more to life than dealing with drugs, trauma, and other life altering issues. I want to show everyone who comes here the love of Christ. Your donations are making a difference in helping people just like me. I am an example of the life-changing work that the Mission does! Thank you to the Mission for helping to completely change my life and thank you for donating from the generosity of your heart!

