There was a time in my life when I was so lonely and so depressed. I lived by a set of beliefs that said I was defective, incompetent, worth little to nothing and totally incapable of doing anything to change my situation for the better. These attitudes and beliefs left me extremely bitter, resentful and imprisoned in my mind and this is the way I lived for nearly 30 years. Growing up in a Christian missionary family with emotionally dysfunctional parents I had knowledge of God and Jesus Christ but my personal struggles only caused me to doubt His goodness or existence and to blame Him for all of the suffering I had experienced. Trying to cope with all of this internal torment and at the same time exist in the world I developed a large collection of facades and masks that I put on in hopes of hiding all of my trauma inside both to people around me and myself. This situation increasingly separated me from everyone around me, reality and from my true self that was buried ever deeper under my layers of disguise. I medicated my pain with addictive chemicals and many other unhealthy compulsive behaviors. Eventually the resentment and rage that boiled inside me began to erupt outwardly and it wasn’t long before I found myself in jail with charges and my professional career in flames. Gripped by so much fear I remained frozen in my thinking and although I was now unavoidably confronted with the raw reality of my circumstances, I was unable and unwilling to consider what I needed to do to make any positive changes in my life. I projected and blamed all of my circumstances on God, my family and the world around me in the same faulty beliefs that said I was a powerless and worthless human being just as I first came to believe about myself when I was around the age of 13. I managed to get out of jail and life went on. Eventually I accepted a plea deal that included a long period of probation. At that time I did not surrender my will or try to make any real changes inside and so eventually the resentment and rage spilled over again. This time I violated my probation and was arrested a second time on a warrant and discovered that I was not going to be allowed to bond out of jail like the first time. During the two and a half months I was in jail I came to a place of fully trusting and believing in God. I surrendered my will and came to understand that ultimately His will and desire is only for my good as one of His children whom He loves very much. From that point the questions and doubts were gone and I began to be able to receive God’s love and begin reassessing all of my past beliefs and attitudes about my abilities and value. Today nearly 18 months later on the verge of graduating from Fresh Start I am able to say without a doubt that God has worked so powerfully in my life and given me a whole new way of seeing everything and I have been able to start loving others in my life. This miracle has allowed me to have faith and believe in Him and to trust in His will for my life which now has purpose and meaning. I am able to believe in my ability through Him to work on and make changes in my life that are healthy and beneficial for me and my family and that is so empowering. I could not imagine my life having gone any other way and I am so grateful for His faithfulness to ultimately bring me from the prison of suffering and defeat to a life full of hope and victories. Thank you very much for reading my story. I pray that it may be an encouragement to someone who is still suffering and struggling in their life.
My Testimony by Eric A.
Broken, Webster’s definition of the word is having been fractured or damaged and longer in one piece of working condition. That definition is how I was upon entering Fresh Start. My life had entered a downward spiral with no end in sight. Alcohol had robbed me of my self-esteem, my self-worth and ruined relationship after relationship. For me, there was no “A-ha” moment or bright light. One morning I woke up and took a long look in the mirror and I didn’t recognize the person staring back. That day I made the decision to call Fresh Start and take my life back. I’m not going to say it was easy but with help and counseling I received there I was able to start putting my life back on track. With the environment Fresh Start Ministries provides I renewed my mind, renewed my relationship with God and restored my sense of self-worth that I had loss. I now am optimistic about my future and have the tools to deal with the challenges life throws at me.
My Testimony by Jesse R.
My addiction prior to Fresh Start was my only focus and meaning in life. Dope was my god. I was led to Fresh Start by prison time, the loss of my family and friends and all hope, living in a cesspool of insanity controlled by violence. The Lord changed my thinking, my outlook and my opinion of myself. I’ve learned to forgive myself and others, but most importantly I’ve learned to serve Christ and others.
My Testimony by Chad H.
I am an unrepeatable miracle of God. There is no way I would be alive or making it through this program without a total change of heart from Jesus Christ. He is my rock and my anchor; my strength to make it through each day. I have been delivered from a hopeless state of mind and body. I have been delivered from my alcoholism. I have seen and experienced many dark things through my addiction. I’ve lived on many streets and done a lot of time in jails all over the nation. I came straight out of the gutter and I am blessed to be alive today. Jesus Christ through Fresh Start Ministries has saved my life. I have a renewed relationship with my children which have been one of the most important goals of being here at fresh Start. I am a new creation in Christ with a firm foundation to continue my recovery in my daily life and serve God. I can’t thank God, the staff, and the brothers at Fresh Start enough for helping to save my life and getting me to his point in my recovery.
My Testimony by Gregory S.
I was a broken, bitter, lonely and hopeless man who had hit rock bottom. I lost everything at the end and was homeless. I was at the end of my rope. I bounced from hospitals and rehabs for the next year and a half. I contemplated suicide as my only hope and relief to ease my pain. I Baker Acted myself. While in the hospital I contacted Fresh Start and entered their program. They taught me humility, patience, and most importantly how to deal with my anger. In this I’ve learned to take responsibility from decisions and to quit projecting onto the world. I’ve learned to be slow to speak and eager to listen. In the last twelve months I have transformed into a humble, patient, and considerate man. I try on a daily basis not to have my emotions cloud my judgements. I am full of hope and am excited about my future.
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4436 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL 32804
The 12-Step Fresh Start Ministries Family Support Group Zoom meeting is held every Tuesday evening starting at 6:30pm. This months graduation will be March 30th at 7:15pm. Please contact our office if you would like to participate.
