Archived Stories

I spent last Christmas in a prison cell. It is a very sad time of year for those of us confined to a cell. None of the inmates want to talk about Christmas, nobody says the word. Nobody says, "Merry Christmas" and we wait for the season to pass like a shadow drifting over us.

It is not that I had become too hard to care about Christmas or the holidays. It's simply too much too deal with on top of everything else facing us inside the walls of prison. In addition, it is weakness in prison to show sadness so I was forced to miss my family without the benefit of being able to talk or to find any form of consolation. The only indicator of Christmas would be a slice of turkey or ham and a piece of pumpkin pie.

Outside of prison, the Christmas season was a time in my family when everyone put the gloves down to spend time together. It was a time to put aside family squabbles to share good times and gifts. The Christmas before prison, I was able to see my 18-month-old grandson for the first time. A lot different picture than the gray shades of prison, but still not the freedom and peace I was seeking.

Now, in the Life Recovery Program, I am being freed from the prison inside my mind; the prison that tells me to look over my shoulder and to recall past mistakes, pain, and failures. The prison that tells me to repeat the cycle of shame. Before this program, I did drugs to cover my guilt and then did more drugs to cover my guilt for doing drugs.

Now, I am learning that my shame is covered by the blood of Jesus, my guilt removed by His sacrifice. I have discovered the endless gift of salvation and am learning the importance of the birth of Jesus. Christmas is taking on new meaning as I move from the sadness in prison, the truce during family get-togethers, and into the humbling joy that is a relationship with Jesus.

I have been in this program for only a few months and my entire life already feels different. Before, I could not talk about any of this without crying. Now I can experience the cleansing flow of conversation with people who genuinely listen and care. I am learning how to talk to God and to lean on Him for help. My feelings of guilt are lighter and my expectations of this season much brighter than ever before. 

My name is Jim Dixon. I am a graduate and intern at Victor Valley Rescue Mission. Before I entered the Life Recovery Program at the mission, I was homeless and hungry. Everyday I begged for money on the streets, but I used it for alcohol to numb both my physical and emotional pain. I was feeding my addiction and my body was suffering. The addiction was so bad that, one day, I attempted to steal a beer. I was caught and was sent to prison for several years.

After my time in prison, I heard about Victor Valley Rescue Mission and the meals they served the community. I didn't take advantage of this so, unfortunately, I was not in the greatest health because I was not eating properly. One day I saw a guy that was in the Life Recovery Program and he encouraged me to check in. I took his advice and made the best decision of my life.

I went from no regular meals to receiving well balanced meals on a daily basis. The mission showed me they cared by the way they served me. Now that my body was fed, I was open to be spiritually led on my road to recovery.

I presently serve as an intern in the Food Pantry serving the community with food boxes and meals every week. I was a recipient of the love and commitment of our donors; now I get to give back the same way –WITH A MEAL. 

"My name is Scott Divic and I am a part of the Life Recovery Program at the mission. Before coming to Victor Valley Rescue

Mission, I had been drinking since I was 18. Later I became sober for eight years, until my father died of heart failure. I allowed his death to throw my life into a drunken spiral. In addition to this, I lost my seven-year business due to the recession. At the peek of my addiction, I was consuming about a fifth of Vodka a day.

My addiction not only affected me, but my decisions divided my 20-year relationship with my wife. I almost lost the connection with my two children. Alcohol turned me into an angry person to the point that I lost my temper and had a domestic altercation. This altercation led to me being arrested and sentenced to five months in jail.

I have only been in the Life Recovery Program for a short time, and my life is already brand new. The rescue mission has taught me the importance of relationships, especially my relationship with God. Out of my fellowship with Him, all of my other relationships operate correctly. My eyes have been opened and I have a fresh outlook on life. Now part of the family I almost lost, attends Thursday night Bible study with me.

If my life looks like this after only four months, I can only imagine what it will look like after being here nine months."

My name is Ramon Bueno and I've been a participant in the Life Recovery Program for almost nine months. My story began five years ago on the streets of Los Angeles. I was only 18 when I began to experiment with crack cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and methamphetamines. Soon after, these substances began to control my life and I found myself homeless and lifeless for three years. Following this three year experience, I checked into a oneyear Christian program. During my time at this program, I discovered major integrity issues and illegal activity led by the pastor. I had to make the very difficult decision to leave the program four days before my graduation. For the next three months, I went back into alcohol and methamphetamine abuse. I thank God for my friend that knew a current participant in the Life Recovery Program at the mission. She got the contact information for the program manager, John Schmidt. I called him and entered into the greatest season of my life.

The "gifts of love" that the donors and supporters of Victor Valley Rescue Mission give helped make my story of restoration a reality. I'm excited about completing my graduation this time in 19 days. I'm ready to live a Christcentered, balanced life!

A volunteer is defined as a person who performs service without expecting compensation or recognition. After retirement, I sought out ways

to occupy my time. I realized that by volunteering I would not only provided service in a community that had many needs, but also, I felt that volunteering would heal my soul. The Bible tells us to treat each other like brothers and sisters and to be of service.

I've experienced many highs and lows in my lifetime and that has given me an understanding of the need that some people have. The Bible lets me know that it's a blessing to serve. The smiles and hugs I get from the people I'm helping are the greatest compensation of all. I'm thankful that, through the grace of God, I'm able to be of service at the Victor Valley Rescue Mission to help provide assistance to the underserved in my community. ~ Frank Gallegos

Through our Life Recovery Program, we hope that each man we work with will graduate, find work, and go on to lead a productive life. But the sad truth is, once a person leaves the mission, many times we lose contact with them and can only hope that we gave them enough of ourselves to help them become successful and live the life God has planned for them.

That's why we are so grateful when we receive news that one of our graduates is doing well. There is no greater reward for us than hearing that someone we have cared for and worked with is moving forward in his new life.