J.D. was a young man in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong sort of people, when a terrible crime occurred that got him sent to prison.

Only the hope for forgiveness, redemption, and a second chance at life—a new beginning—sustained him as the hours, days, and years crawled by.

When at last he was released, the only thing J.D. knew for sure was that he wanted a different kind of life than the one he’d known before, and that he was never, ever going back to prison.

He knew the statistics: Within five years of release, more than 75% of prisoners are arrested again. But J.D. was determined to beat the odds. He would rebuild his heart and his life from the ground up.

Only, how to begin? Who would ever believe he was worth helping?

Your support of Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries (DRMM) gave J.D. the chance for a new beginning in life.

“I came here after 27 years in prison,” J.D. says. “This place breathed new life back into me. There are so many positive people. They helped me get a job. It’s like God set me down in the middle of all these positive people who help me, strengthen me, and get my mind back on the right track. I’m focused now. I thank God for them.”

J.D. was so excited to begin again that he said “yes!” to every task and opportunity DRMM staff laid before him. As we do with others who come through our doors, lost and broken, we provided J.D. with meals and shelter, job and educational counseling, Bible study, and so much more.

We prayed with and for J.D. and helped him understand that Jesus had personally assured he would get a second chance.

A grateful heart, a life transformed

Your support provided J.D. with the tools, encouragement, and spiritual guidance to get on a different path in life—and stay there.

“Everybody here has a hand in building you up. They don’t just tell you, ‘We care for you.’ They demonstrate it,” he says.

“As I began to read my Bible, I began to grow. I began to stay more focused. This place helps you rebuild yourself, they give you a solid foundation, spiritually and mentally.”

J.D. is working and living independently today, but he is still very involved with DRMM because he wants to give as much to others as he has been privileged to receive.

Deeply grateful, J.D. wants DRMM’s donors to know he appreciates the help he received, and that other’s lives are being saved and changed each day. “Thank you. Without you, there would be no me. I hope you’ll continue to help DRMM. Every man you help builds a chain, a ladder to help other men.”

This Christmas, J.D. is thanking God for you and the new beginning in life he has received. With your ongoing support DRMM can continue to be the place where broken lives are rebuilt in Detroit!