“God is making the difference...”

At 40, Ricky is old enough to have regrets - and young enough to have time left to fix them. He’s also learned that the key to starting over is to let God be in control. As he says, “God is making the difference...He has brought me such a long way. I was at the bottom, with no self-esteem. And now I am so happy!”

Ricky’s low self-esteem began while growing up in a large family in Davenport, Indiana. Both of his parents worked, but it was hard to make ends meet with seven kids to feed. Perhaps Ricky felt “lost in the crowd” with so many siblings. Or maybe his dad’s alcoholism prevented the kind of close bonding a son needs with his father. In any case, Ricky struggled in school and was placed in Special Ed classes, which brought teasing from his peers. As time passed, Ricky sought recognition from new friends - streetwise kids who drank, smoked pot and drew Ricky into activities that eventually got him expelled from school in 10th grade. He was already tumbling into a downward spiral.

Drifting through life

Ricky went to work in a fast food restaurant and took a feeble stab at getting his GED, but never completed the work because he skipped classes to smoke pot and drink. He began selling drugs and using crack cocaine, and a pattern emerged. He would get a job, rent an apartment, then lose it all because of his drug addiction. Eventually, he began to move in and out of homeless shelters. He tried rehab from time to time, but nothing worked. Ricky was just drifting through life.

Finally, in the summer of 2007 he came to Open Door Mission for meals and a place to sleep. He wasn’t ready to make lasting changes, so he stayed in our emergency shelter - working temporary jobs each day and spending his money on beer, then coming to the Mission to eat and sleep at night. Then one day, Ricky woke up on his mat in the Chapel and looked around at the other guys. Suddenly, he realized life was passing him by. He had heard about our New Life Program, and felt an earnest desire to give it a try. With tears in his eyes, he filled out an application and turned it in. That was the first step towards a new life.

“It’s not about me...”

Today Ricky feels better about himself than he ever has. That’s because he’s learned an important lesson. As he says, “It’s not about me. It’s about helping others.” Ricky is discovering the talents God has given him, and he’s excited about using them in the future. He hopes to reunite with his family (Ricky has three kids!) and to find a church home. Although he is open to whatever God leads him to do, he has a desire to be involved in ministry and help young people who are drifting like he was to discover the powerful truth from his favorite verse, Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him [Christ] who gives me strength.”

Ricky believes God has a purpose for his life, and looks forward to a promising future.

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