Looking back with clear heads and new faith, it’s easier for Jason and Samantha to see how God was watching over them. But, in the midst of their addictions, they cared only about the next high and the next paycheck that would make it possible.

But today, having found sobriety, stability, and God’s grace, they’re eager to put the past behind them and start their next chapter. “We’re looking forward to the future, which we didn’t have before,” says Jason.

A year and a half ago, the couple and their 4-year-old son were living in a room they rented from a friend. Jason was employed, making a good wage and keeping the family afloat. But their lives were mostly about the next drug fix. Both had long histories of drug use. And Jason had been in and out of jail.

Their world inevitably started to crumble. Their friend lost his home to foreclosure. Then Jason was laid off from his job. With almost no savings and their income chopped by two thirds, they couldn’t get into an apartment. “When you’re making $450 a week and spending half of it on drugs, there’s not a lot left for anything else,” says Samantha. So they resorted to living in motels. But as anyone who lives in Orange County knows, motels are expensive. They quickly ran out of money. That left only one option: The couple owned two trucks. So Jason lived in one. And Samantha and her son lived in the other.

After lots of scary nights, a fruitless job search, and no stability for their son, the situation became unbearable. Samantha says, “One night, I cried out to God, ‘I don’t want to live like this anymore!’” Miraculously, the next morning, a knock came on her truck window. It was the Huntington Beach Police. They were cracking down on people parking overnight in city parks. Samantha told the officers, “I have a son sleeping in the back seat.” One of them said, “Well, that changes everything.” He asked if they wanted to get help. “I said yes — that I had called every place possible,” says Samantha. “They offered to take us to the Rescue Mission.” “It’s got to be God,” says Jason. “God showed up on that day. We were sick of not taking a shower every single day, we had a child sleeping in the back of our truck, I think we were just ready.”

At the Rescue Mission, Jason and Samantha were able to rebuild their lives on a foundation of faith. Through our addiction recovery support, marriage counseling, parenting classes, and more, they were determined to live life differently.

But most important, they discovered the one thing they were truly lacking: structure. “All of the other things are just bonuses,” says Jason. “Everything that we do here completely structures us for what comes after we leave.” What’s more, says Jason, “Our son is safe and has a roof over his head. We don’t have to worry about other drug addicts around our child.” In the end, says Jason, “It’s not about us. It’s about our son. Once you realize that, you’re willing to give up old behaviors. We really have come so far.” Today, Jason can say, “All things have become new. Old things are passed away. We have new hearts. God has blessed us tremendously. God became real when that officer knocked on the window. Our little boy calls those cops our angels. That knock on the window was from God.”