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March 26, 2008

I was born and raised in Ethiopia.  At age 18 I left Ethiopia because there was a civil war and I was asked to join the army to fight.  I went to a number of different countries like Israel, Greece and Italy and finally entered Montreal as a refugee.

I landed at Montreal in 1989 at the age of 19.  A year after that I got married and had a daughter.  Her name is Bethlehem and she is now 15 years old.[Note to subscribers: If you're missing the intro, click here to start from the beginning]

Unfortunately I had a problem.  I was an alcoholic.  My addiction to alcohol created many problems. I wasted a lot of money and had many quarrels with my wife.  Soon my marriage broke down.  I couldn’t run my business.  Soon I left my wife, daughter and my business and went to Portland, Oregon.  My daughter at this time was only three years old.

In Portland my addiction only became worse.  I started using drugs and got myself into more trouble.  I got married again but this marriage did not last long either.  I also lost a very good friend during this time.

Once again in 2005, I moved out of the situation.  This time to Vancouver, again hoping things would work out.  But changing places did not make any difference.  I could not give up my addiction to drugs and alcohol.

I was at the Downtown Eastside for two weeks and stayed for a while in the shelter at UGM.  I attended the chapel sessions and was touched by the message.  I also came to know about the drug and alcohol treatment program and decided to try that.

The program was hard for me.  I was not able to sleep well.  I had strong cravings and wanted to return to the old life.  But the people at UGM ministered to me and prayed with me, and that helped me to remain and complete the program.

I attended bible studies and the alpha program at UGM.  At the alpha retreat something happened to me.  I sensed the presence of God in my life. I felt the burden lifted and felt very joyful.  I finally did my step 5 with God.  That day onwards my life changed.

As time went on I learned more about God.  I also attended Broadway Church and grew in my faith through regular bible studies.  I was a Muslim living in darkness but now I am baptized and live in the light of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  By God’s grace I am now re-connected with my daughter after 12 long years.

I came to Union Gospel Mission to get the help I needed to stay sober.  However God gave me more sobriety.  He gave me salvation through his son Jesus Christ.  He poured his grace and mercy upon me and gave me peace and serenity.  Since then I have decided to serve him.

After completing the alcohol and drug treatment program I found work in the Union Gospel Mission maintenance department for six months.  Then God led me to the Vancouver Thrift Store to work as a swamper on the delivery van, for a year.

Now I have been blessed with an opportunity to serve on the outreach team.  It is a place where care and hope is given to people who are homeless and suffering from addiction and other problems.  I now have an opportunity to help people who are suffering what I experienced for years.

As I look back, I can see that my coming to Vancouver and to UGM is not an accident.  It was planned by God to bring me to himself and to experience His love and to live a happy and satisfying life.  I am still an addict but this time it is not to alcohol or drugs, but to God and his son Jesus Christ.