Miguel & Desarae's Story

Miguel remembers his uncles blowing marijuana smoke in his face when he was as young as 4. Desarae’s parents were only 15 when she was born. They struggled with their own addictions.

Growing up around drugs, both Miguel and Desarae easily fell into the lifestyle.

They were each deep in their addictions when they met. Over the course of 14 years, they became parents, even as they struggled to find stability…

Tony's Story

When Tony first arrived at the Rescue Mission, the biggest burden he carried was regret. “The most hurtful thing about being an addict and an alcoholic was how can I make up for my past? How can I make up for my past mistakes and failures?” Tony shares.

As a child, Tony just wanted to belong, especially after his parents’ divorce. So he began spending time at a friend’s house, including time with his friend’s father, looking to fill the void his own father left behind…

Stephanie’s Story

Stephanie can tell you just what hope for a new life means to her.

Before she got married, she was independent and stable with a good job as a dental assistant.

But soon after her marriage, she found herself in an emotionally unstable relationship, which soon escalated to physical abuse.

Once so full of confidence, Stephanie began to lose her sense of self-worth.

Just save my kids…

Ricky & Lisa’s Story

Not so long ago, Ricky and Lisa were facing the real possibility of losing each other forever. But today, each smile they share is a silent prayer of thanks. For their health. For their sobriety. For their rock-solid marriage.

Lisa’s shaky health had brought her to the brink of death too many times.

At the age of 11, she was involved in a near-fatal car accident. She received a blood transfusion that saved her life, but because of contamination, she contracted a virus that shut down her pancreas and caused serious dips in her blood sugar. Eventually, drugs became her way to numb the pain and chaos of her life.

Sarah’s Story

The only way out was to pick up everything and leave. So Sarah and the kids left and didn’t look back. But they had nowhere to go.

“It was really hard and traumatic for them,” Sarah says about her kids at this time. “There were some really chaotic times like not knowing where we were going to sleep. There were times when we would sleep in my van.”

Sarah heard about a “Christian shelter” from a friend, but she didn’t think such a place existed. Sarah called Orange County Rescue Mission…