Receiving
Daily Blessings
Client testimony by Ernest Holbrook
Truthfully, I don’t really know when I had my first alcoholic drink.
My mom and dad gave me beer when I was still a small child.
My mother died when I was 13 years old. A month later, my dad allowed another
woman to move into our home. I did not like the situation at all and we argued
over it many times. He told me I had to leave the house, so I moved into
an old train car and worked on a farm. I still attended school.
After my 16th birthday, I began to drink every day and hang out with friends
a few years older than me. I received my first DWI (Driving While Intoxicated)
charge when I was 18 years old.
A year later, I was falsely charged with the murder of a 12-year-old girl.
I spent more than two years in prison before the authorities caught the person
who had committed the crime.
While I was in prison, I turned my life over to God and experienced the joy
and peace that comes from knowing Him. I was able to help others find God
as well.
After my release, I was awarded a court settlement for wrongful imprisonment.
However, I turned my back on God and started drinking again and using drugs
heavily. I didn’t care about anything or anyone.
Eventually, I did not have a place to live, so I lived on the streets or
any place where someone would let me stay a night or two. I worked all day
just so I could drink at night.
I am now 42 years old. Six months ago, I arrived at the New Destiny Treatment
Center with little hope. I had given up on life and wanted to kill myself.
Since coming to the treatment center, I have turned my heart back to God.
I love Him and I try not to do anything without asking Him for guidance first.
Every day, I thank God for the ways He has blessed me. I have recently performed
some volunteer work at the New Destinations Thrift Store. Ironically, I was
doing God’s work in the same building in which I used to buy alcohol
a few years ago.
I am also blessed today to have my family back in my life. They encourage
and support me.
If not for God and the New Destiny Treatment Center, I would be dead today.
My heart is full of love for those who have saved my life. Thank you. God
bless you.
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