After a successful career in construction working for the family business, David found himself faced with uncertainty. He had struggled with carpal tunnel for years, and finally had surgery on both hands. He needed a break from construction to heal, so he took a job in security at a high rise in San Diego.

But David, used to staying active all day through his work, found himself stifled by the slower pace.

“I’m a high-energy guy, and I’d be inside, just watching people outside the windows, moving around and doing their thing,” he said. In addition to being discontent with his job, David had also stopped going to church; soon, he started drinking again.

“After being sober for two-and-a-half years, I let the enemy come in when the beer signs were calling,” David said. “I wasn’t strong enough and I made a bad choice when
I started drinking again. I was still going to work and I didn’t get out of hand, but I kept on, and I just thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ I’m not going to receive God’s blessings if
I keep this up.”

David’s family has endured some tough times. His brother, while hooked on crystal meth, committed suicide in his 20s. Another brother, at 51, has refused help for the same addiction. David also cared for his mother at the end of her life after a particularly painful battle with brain cancer. He has learned to ask for help when he needs it, and when he started drinking again, David quit his job and came to the mission.

“I want to have a closer relationship with God,” David said. “I have some issues I need to deal with and the teaching is really good here. God’s been tugging at me. I’ve been a believer 30 to 40 years, it’s just that I try to run my own program. I know better though.”

David is working on transitioning to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission to be closer to where his father is looking to move. “I’m at this point, I’ve never felt this way before, like, I don’t know what God’s doing, but it’s all good,” David said. “I’m a planner, and I never used to have any patience. I’m learning how to deal with waiting. Everything happens for a reason.”
After completing his recovery program, David is interested in going to bible school. “It’s a shame that at my age I’m in this position,” David said. “But I know it’s going to get better because I’m going to take care of businesses. I’ve learned a lot here. I crave help and I crave to learn.”