Hector was born and raised in Texas by a single mother. “I never had a father figure in my life,” Hector said. “I chose the street and criminal enterprise as my family. My mom is my best friend. She’s my mother and my father and my best friend. She worked and went to school, so she was really busy, and I took advantage of that. I stayed out when I shouldn’t have. She always did her best.”

Hector got involved in gangs and drug sales, and has been incarcerated on and off since he was 11 years old, although he’s stayed out of jail since 2012. “One year ago, I had a change of heart,” said Hector, now 29. “I got tired of living wrong and I pretty much asked God to guide me and lead me. I wanted to fully surrender to God and see what my purpose was in life. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been the greatest experience of my life.”

Hector mostly took buses and started heading west, without a clue as to where he was going. “I kept going, and I ended up finding this place here.”

Arriving and settling into the mission in February was “a blessing,” Hector said. “I’m always going to have my ups and downs. I’m only human. But to know how much God really loves me, as much as he is real, that he’s accepted me as his son—even forgave me for messing up—has impacted me so much. Having him love me, take care of me and worry about me, has made me believe I have a future.”

Hector was raised in a Christian household, but he’s never been “spiritually hungry and thirsty” like now, he said. “I’ve always been a believer,” Hector said. “But it really hurt me that I didn’t have a father figure. I turned to other people who I thought were there for me. Now, God is my dad, my Lord and Savior; Pastor John and Kenne (mission staff), my uncles, teachers, counselors, the mentors I never had. The rescue mission and its employees are my family, and the guys here, they are my brothers.”

The outreach services have been inspiring for Hector. “Before, I would just take,” he said. “Now, the program and the mission have given me the opportunity, all under God’s guidance, to reach out to the community and help other people in need. We help the hungry, (those experiencing) poverty. It also gives me the chance to spread his gospel.”

Hector’s time at the mission hasn’t always been easy, he said. “But I saw, witnessed and heard a lot of things that kept me on the path. I wanted God to put me where he wanted me. I believe and have faith that the Lord is over all this here at the mission.

“Matthew 7:7-8 says, ‘Keep on seeking and you will find, keep on knocking and the door will be opened. For anyone who seeks finds; for anyone who asks receives; anyone who knocks, the door will be opened.’ I just want to let people know out there that God is real, God is good. He’s really the person to lean on. A lot of people say they have the greatest dad in the world. I can literally say that every day. I have the best father anyone could ask for.”