Marc revels in the restoration happening in his life.
Marc is nearing graduation from the Mission’s Life Recovery Program.
Marc was born in San Bernardino and moved with his parents to Hesperia when he was 4. “I was the only child until I turned 11 years old and was blessed with a little brother,” Marc said. “I started smoking weed and drinking alcohol at 12 at a friend’s house with his older brother. But high school is where I really ended up going off the rocker.”
Marc dropped out during his junior year. “I got involved with the wrong people and started smoking speed and meth,” said Marc, who supported his habit with a job at In-n-Out. “I’ve been involved with drugs most of my life. I gave my life to God a while back but I also battled with giving my whole life to God, so I backslid.”
Marc was clean for a year, but when he got a new job, he ended up making friends with a coworker who used. “I was clean for a while,” he said. “I would get clean for periods of my life and fall right back into it. I am 36 years old now and I am sick and tired of that lifestyle.”
As a kid, Marc would attend church and Sunday School with his grandma. “She was always the strong one in the family,” he said. He also had a girlfriend whose father was a pastor. “The only way I could see her was to go to church—that was his rule. I was just going to see the girl, but I ended up falling in love with Jesus. God got a hold of me. He used her and her family to get me to him.”
His addiction kept Marc from fully giving his life to God. But after he was arrested, Marc was relieved when he was offered a program in exchange for dropping all of his charges and avoiding jail time. “(The transition into the program) was a little difficult because I was used to isolating myself from people when I was using,” he said. “I just wanted to do drugs and hide. But now I’m so thankful for the opportunity to get involved and to serve.”
Marc dove into (Program Manager) Pastor John’s teachings. “I believe that Jesus is the only way to overcome this addiction,” he said. “What I love about the Mission is that it gives you an opportunity to study God’s word in a safe environment. “
Marc is about to graduate the Mission’s Life Recovery Program. “Restoration is happening in my life. My relationship is getting better with my family because they see me getting back on a good path,” he said. “They aren’t going-to-church and following-God-kind-of people. My grandmother and I are the only people in my family that are pursuing God. I have to be that example for them. I have to prove to them that God is real.”
Marc is planning to enter the Mission’s transitional living program and to get a job. He has attended the same church for seven years but recently became a member on the usher board—he wants to do even more in his church. “I just want to move forward and be consistent,” he said. “I got so much knowledge of God and understanding of God while I have been here. It’s now time for me to go to my next stepping stone, applying what I learned here to my everyday life.”