“I Was Dead in the Water,” says Donald. A string of bad decisions led to one good one: coming to the Mission.

“I Was Dead in the Water…”For a while, it seemed every decision Donald made turned against him. Investing his savings: They went bad. Moving in with family: He ended up getting kicked out. Twice. It wasn’t until Donald came to the Orange County Rescue Mission, on the advice of someone at church, that his life finally took a turn for the better.

“At that point, I would have been willing to do anything to stay off the street,” he remembers. “I was broke … dead in the water. I wanted to cry, but I was brought up not to cry. It’s scary to be on your last legs.”

After so much turmoil in his life, Donald says coming to the Mission brought him peace of mind. “I was so stressed out when I first came here,” he says, reaching for a photograph of a haggard-looking Donald on his first day here. “I couldn’t eat. Or sleep. I hadn’t laughed in a year and a half.” Since coming to the Mission, Donald says he’s slowly putting his life back together — which includes going back to school.

“I’m finally laughing again,” he says. “It feels really good to get it out.”

God is using the Orange County Rescue Mission — and good people like you — to bring hope and new life to hundreds of people like Donald every month. Thank you for giving. It makes such a difference!