He knows God is with him When Rudy entered the doors of the Mission, he carried decades of pain—wounds from childhood trauma, years of addiction, broken trust, and the weight of shame. But he also carried something else: hope. Hope that God hadn’t given up on him. Hope that healing was possible.Rudy grew up in a migrant family, working in California’s strawberry fields from the age of 9. Raised by a single mother after his father left, Rudy lacked a stable father figure. When a trusted priest—someone meant to offer support—violated that trust and molested him, Rudy’s world changed forever. “I didn’t trust anyone in authority after that,” he shared. “Not teachers, not principals, not even my own mother.”With no one to guide him, Rudy fell into addiction as a teen, starting with marijuana at 15, then progressing to alcohol, LSD, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamines. He was shot during a crime and cycled in and out of prison. Yet through it all, something deeper kept calling him back. “Even when I was high or in trouble, I would cry out to God. Somehow, I always knew He was with me.”That quiet whisper of faith eventually led him to Celebrate Recovery, where he and his wife found a new kind of community—one filled with love, support, and accountability. But it wasn’t enough; Rudy knew he needed more. That’s when he turned to RMA Central Coast.

Coming to the Mission wasn’t easy. “I felt ashamed,” Rudy admitted. “I thought I had failed people who expected better of me.” But God had already prepared the way. Even before Rudy arrived, God was orchestrating details—like providing a renter for his family’s trailer and befriending a man, who unbeknownst to both at the time, ultimately became his program counselor at the Mission. “It was like God was saying, ‘I’ve got this.’”

Now several months into the program, Rudy is experiencing real transformation. He’s found a renewed sense of purpose, deeper emotional healing, and brotherhood among men who support one another through the trials of recovery. “I’m learning to love again,” he said. “I come from a culture where you don’t hug men or tell them you love them. But now I do.”

Rudy’s wife has supported him through it all. Today, she joins him faithfully at Celebrate Recovery. Their four children are thriving and have reconnected with their father. “They’ve forgiven me,” Rudy said. “They love me. And that’s because God—and this place—changed me.”

From trauma to transformation, Rudy’s journey is a testament to the power of faith.