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Before I came to Helping Up Mission (HUM), I had nothing besides a half gallon of beer, crack cocaine, and a pipe," recalls James, 59 (pictured left). "I grew up in Park Heights, Baltimore. One day, I came home from school and told my mom that I was not going back. I wanted to be with my friends, so I chose the streets over my education. Today, all of my 'homeboys' are dead or doing life in prison. I started smoking weed when I was 16 and having the occasional beer. By the time I was 22, I was selling drugs, and curiosity kicked in. I experimented with crack, and a week later, I was hooked."

"In 2014, my mother had had enough and wanted me to quit doing drugs. Things were going well. One of my brothers has 24 years of sobriety, and he got me into meetings. After eight and a half years of my own sobriety, my brother gave me $250, and that was all it took for my addiction to resurface. I quickly lost everything. One day, my caseworker at Beans & Bread asked me how I was doing, and I told her the truth. I was ashamed. She told me that she knew of a place that was spiritual called HUM." 
"The night before I came to HUM, I had nothing besides a half gallon of beer, crack cocaine, and a pipe. I called out to God to take this away and flushed it all down the toilet. I prayed, 'God, wherever you put me, let me know somebody who is there!"'

"That first night at HUM, I was down in Overnight Guest Services talking to some other clients about when I was going to leave this place. Peter Griffin, Director of Outreach and Intake, walked by and said, 'Jay?' I knew Pete from the streets! I:-Ie asked me if I was alright and if I needed anything. I remembered what I had prayed to God for (and enrolled in the Spiritual Recovery Program)!"

"One day, in Mike Rallo's class - he's the Director of Spiritual Life - I saw a sign on the wall that asked, 'Who am I?' and I realized I didn't know who I was. He told me that I would eventually find out. I recalled Proverbs 3:5: 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."'

"Since corning to HUM, I have learned patience. I've learned to sit still because God has got me. I know who I am, and there is nothing I can't accomplish without HUM."

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