Alex
Alex is a 38 year old male we met on the streets during the Saturday night BBQs, normally with a beer in his hand. He has a wife named Isabel who we’ve also been working with. We met them in early 2015 and soon after Isabel became pregnant. Soon after that Alex had to go to prison due to some prior criminal charges he was facing. Isabel decided to give her life to Christ and asked for help to get sober and become the mother she wanted to be for her child. We found her a home in a Christian family’s house but after living there for six months she suddenly vanished. We tried looking for her everywhere without success and just kept praying. A month later she turned up apologetic and wanting to start again. We brought her back in and she did well until the baby was born. The Saturday after the baby was born Alex showed up at the Saturday night BBQ outreach. He was drunk and full of guilt, saying ‘I need help. I’m ready to change my life’. He had not seen his baby yet and we were able to show him pictures of his son on the phone. That was Easter Friday. We were able to pray with him and asked God to help him stay sober and not have the desire to drink again. I told him to call me Tuesday morning because there was nothing I could do on Easter weekend. Alex called Tuesday and told me he hadn’t had a drink since that night. He had to go to court Tue-Wed and then Thursday morning he wanted our help getting into Detox. Thursday morning rolled around and he was still sober, so we phoned Detox and they said there was no point in coming in because he was already detoxed. Alex looked at me and said ‘I still don’t know how to manage my life. I still need to know how to be a good dad’. I found out that Alex had spent two months at Woodwyn Farm before he had gone to prison and he wanted to go back there and finish the program. We called them and he was accepted back immediately.
Alex and Isabel
Desmond
Desmond’s story is a testimony to the power of God moving in a community. As one experiences positive change, others are influenced.
Desmond heard the story of his sister Isabel and husband Alex taking steps to clean up their lives and decided it was best for him to join them. He made the decision to put down the bottle and pick up Jesus. We drove him to Wagner Hill Farm for their one year program.
Kayla
We met Kayla at Saturday night outreach. She had a big heart and tried to take care of all her friends but also struggled with a heroin addiction. Her mother worked where I worked and was desperate to have Kayla come off the streets. We had many coffee dates with Kayla, speaking encouragement into her life and showing her what God desired for her. After several months we found out she was pregnant and desperately wanting to get clean and straight and be the mom her baby deserved. She was still very attached to her friends but she knew she needed to move away and sought out our help. We got her connected with 713 Outreach and the Boys and Girls Club and acquired an option to enter a two year program for women that spans a year before and a year after a woman gives birth. It included a one bedroom suite with house parents and support. She was having a hard time making a decision to leave her friends and the time to enter the program was soon expiring. We had several counselling sessions and she finally decided to commit to the program. She has now had the baby, has been clean for over twelve months and is doing well.
Will
Will was one of the first people I encountered in my ministry and I am still working with him. I met him at our BBQ at Beacon Hill Park along with his two year old son and we just loved on him. He added me on Facebook. Two days later, I was out to breakfast with my family and Will messaged me desperately in need of help. He hated his life and didn’t want to be on the streets and the person who’s couch he was staying on had kicked him out. I went to meet Will and his son, leaving my family at the restaurant, which really touched him deeply. I took him and his son for ice cream and down to the water to talk. I told him to tell me his whole story and that I wouldn’t judge him for anything. He spent the next two hours telling me his whole life story. We took his son back to his mother and went to go see my wife at her work to ask her if Will could move in with us. She said yes, which also deeply touched Will. He came to a prayer meeting that night and gave his life to Christ before we went in. In the prayer meeting God met Will in a powerful way and his back was healed, so he had no more excuse to smoke pot for his pain. Will lived with us for three weeks while we tried to get him into Teen Challenge. He finally got in and we drove him up there. He stayed for 7 months , was kicked out and came back to live with us for another 5 months. He slowly started to get back into the street scene. Finally we had to give him a choice to follow the rules or choose to leave. We then lost track of him for a while until he sought us out 7 months later. He had impregnated a girl and wanted help getting the two of them into recovery so they could be good parents to the baby. They both started coming to church and they rededicated their lives to Christ. They have a desire to enter treatment programs but are too attached to staying together to make the commitment to spend a year apart.
Alex
Alex is a 38 year old male we met on the streets during the Saturday night BBQs, normally with a beer in his hand. He has a wife named Isabel who we’ve also been working with. We met them in early 2015 and soon after Isabel became pregnant. Soon after that Alex had to go to prison due to some prior criminal charges he was facing. Isabel decided to give her life to Christ and asked for help to get sober and become the mother she wanted to be for her child. We found her a home in a Christian family’s house but after living there for six months she suddenly vanished. We tried looking for her everywhere without success and just kept praying. A month later she turned up apologetic and wanting to start again. We brought her back in and she did well until the baby was born. The Saturday after the baby was born Alex showed up at the Saturday night BBQ outreach. He was drunk and full of guilt, saying ‘I need help. I’m ready to change my life’. He had not seen his baby yet and we were able to show him pictures of his son on the phone. That was Easter Friday. We were able to pray with him and asked God to help him stay sober and not have the desire to drink again. I told him to call me Tuesday morning because there was nothing I could do on Easter weekend. Alex called Tuesday and told me he hadn’t had a drink since that night. He had to go to court Tue-Wed and then Thursday morning he wanted our help getting into Detox. Thursday morning rolled around and he was still sober, so we phoned Detox and they said there was no point in coming in because he was already detoxed. Alex looked at me and said ‘I still don’t know how to manage my life. I still need to know how to be a good dad’. I found out that Alex had spent two months at Woodwyn Farm before he had gone to prison and he wanted to go back there and finish the program. We called them and he was accepted back immediately.
Desmond
Desmond’s story is a testimony to the power of God moving in a community. As one experiences positive change, others are influenced.
Desmond heard the story of his sister Isabel and husband Alex taking steps to clean up their lives and decided it was best for him to join them. He made the decision to put down the bottle and pick up Jesus. We drove him to Wagner Hill Farm for their one year program.
Kayla
We met Kayla at Saturday night outreach. She had a big heart and tried to take care of all her friends but also struggled with a heroin addiction. Her mother worked where I worked and was desperate to have Kayla come off the streets. We had many coffee dates with Kayla, speaking encouragement into her life and showing her what God desired for her. After several months we found out she was pregnant and desperately wanting to get clean and straight and be the mom her baby deserved. She was still very attached to her friends but she knew she needed to move away and sought out our help. We got her connected with 713 Outreach and the Boys and Girls Club and acquired an option to enter a two year program for women that spans a year before and a year after a woman gives birth. It included a one bedroom suite with house parents and support. She was having a hard time making a decision to leave her friends and the time to enter the program was soon expiring. We had several counselling sessions and she finally decided to commit to the program. She has now had the baby, has been clean for over twelve months and is doing well.
Will
Will was one of the first people I encountered in my ministry and I am still working with him. I met him at our BBQ at Beacon Hill Park along with his two year old son and we just loved on him. He added me on Facebook. Two days later, I was out to breakfast with my family and Will messaged me desperately in need of help. He hated his life and didn’t want to be on the streets and the person who’s couch he was staying on had kicked him out. I went to meet Will and his son, leaving my family at the restaurant, which really touched him deeply. I took him and his son for ice cream and down to the water to talk. I told him to tell me his whole story and that I wouldn’t judge him for anything. He spent the next two hours telling me his whole life story. We took his son back to his mother and went to go see my wife at her work to ask her if Will could move in with us. She said yes, which also deeply touched Will. He came to a prayer meeting that night and gave his life to Christ before we went in. In the prayer meeting God met Will in a powerful way and his back was healed, so he had no more excuse to smoke pot for his pain. Will lived with us for three weeks while we tried to get him into Teen Challenge. He finally got in and we drove him up there. He stayed for 7 months , was kicked out and came back to live with us for another 5 months. He slowly started to get back into the street scene. Finally we had to give him a choice to follow the rules or choose to leave. We then lost track of him for a while until he sought us out 7 months later. He had impregnated a girl and wanted help getting the two of them into recovery so they could be good parents to the baby. They both started coming to church and they rededicated their lives to Christ. They have a desire to enter treatment programs but are too attached to staying together to make the commitment to spend a year apart.
Dan
I met Dan on the streets and over a period of time got to know him. Dan is a funny guy but his lifestyle wasn’t too funny. He was a member of a gang but was growing weary of the criminal life. Dan was looking to get straight. We moved him to Sooke to get him away from the drugs and the gang. It was a difficult transition because all he knew was downtown. A good turn of events led him to finding a job back in Ontario where he had originally come from. He was able to fly back there and has been doing well ever since.
Lives Changed!!
Here are some testimonies to the power of love. It has been a true blessing to be able to participate in the transformation of peoples' lives from darkness and discouragement to a new awareness of hope and meaning. These are just a few of the many stories of redemption that have been and are in the midst of being walked out on the streets of Victoria.
Alex
Alex is a 38 year old male we met on the streets during the Saturday night BBQs, normally with a beer in his hand. He has a wife named Isabel who we’ve also been working with. We met them in early 2015 and soon after Isabel became pregnant. Soon after that Alex had to go to prison due to some prior criminal charges he was facing. Isabel decided to give her life to Christ and asked for help to get sober and become the mother she wanted to be for her child. We found her a home in a Christian family’s house but after living there for six months she suddenly vanished. We tried looking for her everywhere without success and just kept praying. A month later she turned up apologetic and wanting to start again. We brought her back in and she did well until the baby was born. The Saturday after the baby was born Alex showed up at the Saturday night BBQ outreach. He was drunk and full of guilt, saying ‘I need help. I’m ready to change my life’. He had not seen his baby yet and we were able to show him pictures of his son on the phone. That was Easter Friday. We were able to pray with him and asked God to help him stay sober and not have the desire to drink again. I told him to call me Tuesday morning because there was nothing I could do on Easter weekend. Alex called Tuesday and told me he hadn’t had a drink since that night. He had to go to court Tue-Wed and then Thursday morning he wanted our help getting into Detox. Thursday morning rolled around and he was still sober, so we phoned Detox and they said there was no point in coming in because he was already detoxed. Alex looked at me and said ‘I still don’t know how to manage my life. I still need to know how to be a good dad’. I found out that Alex had spent two months at Woodwyn Farm before he had gone to prison and he wanted to go back there and finish the program. We called them and he was accepted back immediately.
Alex and Isabel
Isabel
Isabel is a young lady we met at the Saturday night BBQ who always had a big smile on her face. Jody, one of our volunteers, became fast friends with her. A few weeks later we found out Isabel was pregnant and also that her husband Alex had to go to prison. Isabel went to church with Jody and gave her life to Christ and asked for help to change her life. She moved in with Jody and her roommates. Things were going well, leading a different lifestyle, staying sober and going to church for six months until Alex got out of prison and then Isabel vanished. A month later, Alex was back in prison and Isabel came back apologizing. We gladly took her back in. She has now had a healthy baby boy and we are now working at getting her into a mother and child program.
Desmond
Desmond’s story is a testimony to the power of God moving in a community. As one experiences positive change, others are influenced.
Desmond heard the story of his sister Isabel and husband Alex taking steps to clean up their lives and decided it was best for him to join them. He made the decision to put down the bottle and pick up Jesus. We drove him to Wagner Hill Farm for their one year program.
Kayla
We met Kayla at Saturday night outreach. She had a big heart and tried to take care of all her friends but also struggled with a heroin addiction. Her mother worked where I worked and was desperate to have Kayla come off the streets. We had many coffee dates with Kayla, speaking encouragement into her life and showing her what God desired for her. After several months we found out she was pregnant and desperately wanting to get clean and straight and be the mom her baby deserved. She was still very attached to her friends but she knew she needed to move away and sought out our help. We got her connected with 713 Outreach and the Boys and Girls Club and acquired an option to enter a two year program for women that spans a year before and a year after a woman gives birth. It included a one bedroom suite with house parents and support. She was having a hard time making a decision to leave her friends and the time to enter the program was soon expiring. We had several counselling sessions and she finally decided to commit to the program. She has now had the baby, has been clean for over twelve months and is doing well.
Henry
Henry was a guy I met on the street, full of life but also full of anger and violence. One day he had had enough of his life and asked us to pray with him. He had seen God move in his life before and knew he needed to get back to Him. Alcohol and drugs were a challenge for Henry and this led to him ending up in prison where I went to visit him several times. In our chats he decided to give his life back to Christ and go to Teen Challenge. He worked in prison and saved his welfare checks to pay the $1000 intake fee. He came up with $500 and we fund raised for the rest. The day he got out of prison, we picked him up and drove him to the bus stop to go to Teen Challenge. As we dropped him at the bus, the driver told us that garbage bags were not suitable for transporting his belongings. So I emptied everything out of my bag and threw his stuff in it and off he went. He was there for 8 months until he was kicked out. He travelled around BC and is now living in Tent City wondering why he left.
Will
Will was one of the first people I encountered in my ministry and I am still working with him. I met him at our BBQ at Beacon Hill Park along with his two year old son and we just loved on him. He added me on Facebook. Two days later, I was out to breakfast with my family and Will messaged me desperately in need of help. He hated his life and didn’t want to be on the streets and the person who’s couch he was staying on had kicked him out. I went to meet Will and his son, leaving my family at the restaurant, which really touched him deeply. I took him and his son for ice cream and down to the water to talk. I told him to tell me his whole story and that I wouldn’t judge him for anything. He spent the next two hours telling me his whole life story. We took his son back to his mother and went to go see my wife at her work to ask her if Will could move in with us. She said yes, which also deeply touched Will. He came to a prayer meeting that night and gave his life to Christ before we went in. In the prayer meeting God met Will in a powerful way and his back was healed, so he had no more excuse to smoke pot for his pain. Will lived with us for three weeks while we tried to get him into Teen Challenge. He finally got in and we drove him up there. He stayed for 7 months , was kicked out and came back to live with us for another 5 months. He slowly started to get back into the street scene. Finally we had to give him a choice to follow the rules or choose to leave. We then lost track of him for a while until he sought us out 7 months later. He had impregnated a girl and wanted help getting the two of them into recovery so they could be good parents to the baby. They both started coming to church and they rededicated their lives to Christ. They have a desire to enter treatment programs but are too attached to staying together to make the commitment to spend a year apart.
Dan
I met Dan on the streets and over a period of time got to know him. Dan is a funny guy but his lifestyle wasn’t too funny. He was a member of a gang but was growing weary of the criminal life. Dan was looking to get straight. We moved him to Sooke to get him away from the drugs and the gang. It was a difficult transition because all he knew was downtown. A good turn of events led him to finding a job back in Ontario where he had originally come from. He was able to fly back there and has been doing well ever since.
Alex and Isabel
Henry
Henry was a guy I met on the street, full of life but also full of anger and violence. One day he had had enough of his life and asked us to pray with him. He had seen God move in his life before and knew he needed to get back to Him. Alcohol and drugs were a challenge for Henry and this led to him ending up in prison where I went to visit him several times. In our chats he decided to give his life back to Christ and go to Teen Challenge. He worked in prison and saved his welfare checks to pay the $1000 intake fee. He came up with $500 and we fund raised for the rest. The day he got out of prison, we picked him up and drove him to the bus stop to go to Teen Challenge. As we dropped him at the bus, the driver told us that garbage bags were not suitable for transporting his belongings. So I emptied everything out of my bag and threw his stuff in it and off he went. He was there for 8 months until he was kicked out. He travelled around BC and is now living in Tent City wondering why he left.
Dan
I met Dan on the streets and over a period of time got to know him. Dan is a funny guy but his lifestyle wasn’t too funny. He was a member of a gang but was growing weary of the criminal life. Dan was looking to get straight. We moved him to Sooke to get him away from the drugs and the gang. It was a difficult transition because all he knew was downtown. A good turn of events led him to finding a job back in Ontario where he had originally come from. He was able to fly back there and has been doing well ever since.
Lives Changed!!
Here are some testimonies to the power of love. It has been a true blessing to be able to participate in the transformation of peoples' lives from darkness and discouragement to a new awareness of hope and meaning. These are just a few of the many stories of redemption that have been and are in the midst of being walked out on the streets of Victoria.
Alex
Alex is a 38 year old male we met on the streets during the Saturday night BBQs, normally with a beer in his hand. He has a wife named Isabel who we’ve also been working with. We met them in early 2015 and soon after Isabel became pregnant. Soon after that Alex had to go to prison due to some prior criminal charges he was facing. Isabel decided to give her life to Christ and asked for help to get sober and become the mother she wanted to be for her child. We found her a home in a Christian family’s house but after living there for six months she suddenly vanished. We tried looking for her everywhere without success and just kept praying. A month later she turned up apologetic and wanting to start again. We brought her back in and she did well until the baby was born. The Saturday after the baby was born Alex showed up at the Saturday night BBQ outreach. He was drunk and full of guilt, saying ‘I need help. I’m ready to change my life’. He had not seen his baby yet and we were able to show him pictures of his son on the phone. That was Easter Friday. We were able to pray with him and asked God to help him stay sober and not have the desire to drink again. I told him to call me Tuesday morning because there was nothing I could do on Easter weekend. Alex called Tuesday and told me he hadn’t had a drink since that night. He had to go to court Tue-Wed and then Thursday morning he wanted our help getting into Detox. Thursday morning rolled around and he was still sober, so we phoned Detox and they said there was no point in coming in because he was already detoxed. Alex looked at me and said ‘I still don’t know how to manage my life. I still need to know how to be a good dad’. I found out that Alex had spent two months at Woodwyn Farm before he had gone to prison and he wanted to go back there and finish the program. We called them and he was accepted back immediately.
Alex and Isabel
Desmond
Desmond’s story is a testimony to the power of God moving in a community. As one experiences positive change, others are influenced.
Desmond heard the story of his sister Isabel and husband Alex taking steps to clean up their lives and decided it was best for him to join them. He made the decision to put down the bottle and pick up Jesus. We drove him to Wagner Hill Farm for their one year program.
Kayla
We met Kayla at Saturday night outreach. She had a big heart and tried to take care of all her friends but also struggled with a heroin addiction. Her mother worked where I worked and was desperate to have Kayla come off the streets. We had many coffee dates with Kayla, speaking encouragement into her life and showing her what God desired for her. After several months we found out she was pregnant and desperately wanting to get clean and straight and be the mom her baby deserved. She was still very attached to her friends but she knew she needed to move away and sought out our help. We got her connected with 713 Outreach and the Boys and Girls Club and acquired an option to enter a two year program for women that spans a year before and a year after a woman gives birth. It included a one bedroom suite with house parents and support. She was having a hard time making a decision to leave her friends and the time to enter the program was soon expiring. We had several counselling sessions and she finally decided to commit to the program. She has now had the baby, has been clean for over twelve months and is doing well.
Henry
Henry was a guy I met on the street, full of life but also full of anger and violence. One day he had had enough of his life and asked us to pray with him. He had seen God move in his life before and knew he needed to get back to Him. Alcohol and drugs were a challenge for Henry and this led to him ending up in prison where I went to visit him several times. In our chats he decided to give his life back to Christ and go to Teen Challenge. He worked in prison and saved his welfare checks to pay the $1000 intake fee. He came up with $500 and we fund raised for the rest. The day he got out of prison, we picked him up and drove him to the bus stop to go to Teen Challenge. As we dropped him at the bus, the driver told us that garbage bags were not suitable for transporting his belongings. So I emptied everything out of my bag and threw his stuff in it and off he went. He was there for 8 months until he was kicked out. He travelled around BC and is now living in Tent City wondering why he left.
Will
Will was one of the first people I encountered in my ministry and I am still working with him. I met him at our BBQ at Beacon Hill Park along with his two year old son and we just loved on him. He added me on Facebook. Two days later, I was out to breakfast with my family and Will messaged me desperately in need of help. He hated his life and didn’t want to be on the streets and the person who’s couch he was staying on had kicked him out. I went to meet Will and his son, leaving my family at the restaurant, which really touched him deeply. I took him and his son for ice cream and down to the water to talk. I told him to tell me his whole story and that I wouldn’t judge him for anything. He spent the next two hours telling me his whole life story. We took his son back to his mother and went to go see my wife at her work to ask her if Will could move in with us. She said yes, which also deeply touched Will. He came to a prayer meeting that night and gave his life to Christ before we went in. In the prayer meeting God met Will in a powerful way and his back was healed, so he had no more excuse to smoke pot for his pain. Will lived with us for three weeks while we tried to get him into Teen Challenge. He finally got in and we drove him up there. He stayed for 7 months , was kicked out and came back to live with us for another 5 months. He slowly started to get back into the street scene. Finally we had to give him a choice to follow the rules or choose to leave. We then lost track of him for a while until he sought us out 7 months later. He had impregnated a girl and wanted help getting the two of them into recovery so they could be good parents to the baby. They both started coming to church and they rededicated their lives to Christ. They have a desire to enter treatment programs but are too attached to staying together to make the commitment to spend a year apart.
Lives Changed!
Here are just a few of the many amazing testimonies to the power of love
Here are just a few of the many amazing testimonies to the power of love!
