IN HIS STEPS - Testimonies

Testimonies

Carol Davis, Graduate April 2001, from the newsletter for June 2001

I, Carol Davis, dedicate this to our Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.
He saved me from a life of alcohol and meth. I was addicted to alcohol first, for many years. When I could not get high enough, I tried cocaine. I liked it but it was too expensive and meth was cheaper. So I was addicted for some twenty-five years. I have hit bottom three times. This last time, I was in Sobering Services in Escondido,
when I head about In His Steps. I knew God and believed in Him, but was never willing to let Him take complete control of my life. In sobering Services I cried out to the Lord to please help me. That is when Bob Denny was introduced to me. I came to In His Steps on April 11, 2000. Before arriving, I did not know who I was, where I was going and I had no hope or future. One day coming back from court with Lisa Story, she asked
me if I could have any kind of job what would it be? As a child from fourteen to eighteen, I spent most of my teen life in Juvenile Hall, so I would like to work with troubled teens. I had no education, no work experience. She said lets pray for this. One week later, I was hired at Hatfield House. It is a group home for teens that have been in
trouble with the law. They are high- risk teens. God granted my dreams to come true. I got my drivers license back and paid off $1,500.00 in traffic fines. I have medical insurance and have saved money to buy a car. Since graduating from In His Steps they have asked me to be house manager which I have accepted. These are all gifts that our Lord God has given to me and He continues to give me everyday. I now have in my heart John 15:11"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Carol Davis, Graduate and Women's in-house Manager.

Darrell Long

I am so grateful for a lot of things. I thank God I am not the person I used to be and I thank God for a clear mind that I can see the truth now.
He has brought me out of darkness into the light. He has softened my heart to be obedient. He gives me hope each and every day through the Holy Spirit and the blessings that come out of that are happiness and comfort.
He has blessed me with a nice godly woman. What else could I ever ask for? My prayer is that our marriage will grow stronger each and every day walking with the Lord. AMEN

Darrell and Beth were married on December 16th, 2006
Beth is also an IHS graduate.

Jim Caldon April 2001

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. (Titus 3:3). This verse sums up my personality and attitude for the last fifteen years. I started using drugs and alcohol at age13 and have been using as much and as
hard as I could ever since. Addiction takes many forms. For me this meant constantly seeking to escape from reality and responsibility; my entire life was centered on getting and using drugs. Something inside of me thinks that by getting loaded, I will "feel
better". This only worked a few times with the rest of my time, years, and energy chasing that first high. And believe me that stuff never satisfied what was lacking in me. From childhood, I can remember a distinct feeling of isolation and loneliness. I felt like an alien on this planet or like everyone else had been given the instruction book
on life except me. I didn't know it then but I know now that some of these
feelings were somewhat accurate. In addition we are brought to physical, mental, and worst of all, spiritual bankruptcy. We do things we don't want to do, and associate with people we
don't need or want to be around. I've lost everything many times over,
destroyed a beautiful family I had and have been brought to the very brink of suicide and insanity. Trips to jail and getting busted were bad, but a small part of the pain I went through with
the slavery of addiction.

Three years ago I heard the Gospel message of Jesus Christ at a church I had visited. I started reading the Bible but soon fell away. Like the seed that fell on rocky ground, I had no root and I went right back to the world. It was not long before my old pattern of
drugs was sweeping everything away from me again. Two years past and during that time I did my hardest using. But I never forgot the truth of the Gospel
while I was out there, and God revealed to me the tremendous spiritual battle that is going on out there. God put so many people, Christians, in my life in different strange ways ,almost to
remind me that I had given my life to him before. He is so faithful it blows me away!

After getting out of jail this last time and swearing off drugs, I went right back to it. After blowing a lot of money and two more weeks of misery, I did finally reach out to God and prayed that this could all end. The next day I found myself at a Bible study. Someone who gave me a ride home offered me to go to a Bible Study Conference the next day. Well, I went and that is where I met some of the guys from In His Steps. After talking to them a little bit they invited me to come check it out and I drove with them from the conference and haven't looked back. It's been about seven months now and so much has changed for the better in my life. My relationship with the Lord is an
everyday thing that comes from reading and studying the Bible, and prayer. I am totally different person than before. I have a different way of looking at things and the hopeless insanity that I experienced everyday is simply gone. This could only have come about by
the Holy Spirit of God living in me. I have a new love for God, a conviction of sins that
is by the Spirit. I look at people differently now-with empathy instead of distrust and suspicion. My relationship with my daughters has been and is being restored and the same with my parents.

Freedom from active addiction is truly an incredible thing. God is an incredible restorer; taking someone who was broken and utterly useless and turning him into someone who is
valuable in His eyes. I know now that God will never leave me nor forsake me-only I can leave Him and that's an every day choice to have Jesus as the Lord of my life.
"What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks
be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:24-25. I've got a long ways to go but praise God I now have hope!

My name is Renate Becker and I graduated from IHS in July 2002. Unfortunately, I made some bad choices after that and ended up in dire straits with no place to go and needing medical attention. Then In His Steps was gracious enough to let me back into the home in July 2004.
The first thing I noticed upon coming back in the home is that nothing here had changed. There were still devotions, and bible studies and chores and most importantly, God's blessings. I learned that exactly what the everyday doings of life were what God wants from us. To be obedient and responsible for my actions, to read His word daily, and to fellowship with other believers at church and bible studies. This has to be my foundation of my everyday walk.
Now 8 � months later, I have once again "graduated", but this time I know that the basics I learned at In His Steps are taught to us for a reason, and that is to make a habit of them and continue to live in God's will. Having a firm foundation in Christ, I will finally be stable enough to be used by God in service.
Thank you

Dan Smith December 1998.

Dan has been a resident of Ramona for the last 16 years. "I was a career alcoholic. I
thought that depending on booze for life was acceptable and normal." Pretty soon Dan
was drinking more and enjoying it less. In 1966, Dan turned his heart over to the Lord at
Calvary Chapel. Even after asking the Lord into his life, Dan continued to be his old self.
After a particularly vicious bout, Dan dropped to his knees and asked the Lord to help
him. "God asked me to turn my life over to Him, and I surrendered completely." The
next day, mid December, 1998, Dan went to In His Steps Christian Recovery Home. "I
learned that I must absolutely give my life to God. He does not lie: He will deliver. I
have been truly reborn since I came to In His Steps. The Lord has given me a wonderful
life. I have the perfect job and next month, I will marry the perfect Christian woman. I
have never been happier and I know it's because I have asked my Lord and Savior into
my life." As of May 2001, Dan and Christine are members of Hope Vineyard Church in
Ramona and are raising their children. Praise the Lord.