During Easter this year, the Mars Hill Church campuses in Seattle came together with the goal of donating over 10,000 diapers, socks, and travel shampoos to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Perhaps due to our affinity as a church for babies (and disinclination to wash our hair?) we had some big donation numbers, albeit ones that were a bit skewed, with grand totals of 35,800 diapers, 7,117 pairs of socks, and about 2,500 travel bottles of shampoo and other toiletries. We did this because Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission loves Seattle and Jesus, and we as a church want to come beside them to support the tangible ways they serve the city. We are not only thrilled to support the Mission, but we also love hearing stories of how they are helping change lives. Here's the story of one of those lives, Gerald. Gerald is a 58-year-old man who's spent over four decades addicted to alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes, but has since become involved at one of the Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission's many discipleship and addiction recovery programs in the region. Before entering the program, he attended the Mars Hill Church U-District campus, as well as a Community Group. These days, he's almost transitioned out of the UGM's residential program and sat down with us to reflect on where God has brought him and walking with God after he leaves the program. MH Blog: Gerald, tell me about yourself and how you have come to be in this residential program?

Gerald: I came to Seattle from Oregon in 1998 after my 25-year marriage went downhill. In March 1997, my wife left with my little girl, who was ten at the time. After that, I was in serious depression when a friend found out about Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission and brought me up here. When I got to Seattle I looked back and thought, "Wow, what happened to 1997?" Methamphetamines will just take you away, crack and drugs—it’s ugly. I came to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. I’ve been homeless most of my time in Seattle.

He tried to live the life he wanted—and almost had it—but then he hit a wall.

I had a great job and two and a half years of sobriety. But I wasn’t living for the Lord. I knew the Lord, or maybe I should say I knew of the Lord. One day I relapsed and missed a day of work. I went in and told my supervisor what happened and I got fired.

Gerald found another job and again was fired for using drugs. In 2010, he moved in with a friend who lives near the Mars Hill U-District campus. He started attending a couple weeks after the campus opened and immediately got involved in a Community Group. After years of considering going into a residential discipleship program with Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, he finally got in a couple months ago. MHB: How has Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission helped prepare you for the future?

G: My life has always been about the highs and lows. In my Christian walk that’s the way it’s always been. I’m way up here and then all of the sudden I find myself way down there. That’s not God’s will for me. There are five assurances in this program and one of them is that, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) I want to overcome the sin that messes me up. I know the truth is I can do this, but I can’t do this right now without him. He’s a right-now God, he will send help.

Seattle's Union Gospel Mission operates several programs and facilities in and around the greater Seattle area, and we've partnered with them more than a few times over the years. For more, read an interview with their president, Jeff Lilley, where he lists a few of their numerous initiatives and ways you can get involved. You can like them on Facebook here. To learn how you can serve, as a volunteer or group, visit their website. Ryan Dorn is a volunteer member on the U-District blog team. This post originally appeared on that campus' blog.