It’s By God’s Grace

Here’s the story from our resident of the month for June, told in his own words. (read all of it)

It’s by God’s good grace that I found Hope Is Alive. 

A good pastor friend of mine once listened to my life-story.  He had been around situations involving addicts and was moved in a way that he wanted to help.  That day he invited me to take a drive with him. He had a meeting with an individual around mid-morning.  When arriving at Starbucks he introduced me to Lance Lang, the Founder and Director of Hope Is Alive. It was a great meeting as I had never told my whole story to another addict. It was kind of a refreshing moment. God had a plan for my addiction at that very moment, but only later would I realize how that meeting would go on to change my life forever.

A little back story…

I am married and have three children and three grandchildren.  I have a nice house, a nice job, some stints of sobriety, a great family and God was doing great things in my life.  But even with everything seeming to go my way, I chose to drink again on April 21, 2016. It was the day my third grandchild was born.

My family was crushed by my decision to drink once more as they had already witnessed my life be destroyed by alcohol.  I realized the very next day that I was in the very process of losing everything all over again and wrecking my life once more. Upon admitting I was in trouble again and admitting I still had an ongoing problem, God intervened.

I quickly remembered Lance Lang who I had once met.  As soon as I could, I gave Lance a call and told him I was in trouble and needed help.  Three days later I was moving into a Hope Is Alive Mentoring Home.

Although I am married and have children that I would not get to see as much, the decision to enter Hope Is Alive Ministries came easily, quickly and with willingness.  I could not go through what I had experienced before nor tear my family apart again. My wife was very accepting of this and we both knew our lives would be changed for the better and at the end of my stay at HIA we would discover a better life together. A life we never knew.

Upon entering the house, I was pretty nervous to say the least.  But twenty four hours later it was all gone.  I was welcomed with nothing but fellowship, encouragement, support, Godliness and happiness.

I think one of the things the program has taught me is the importance of helping others.  In my active addiction I thought about nobody else but myself.  My worst defect of character is selfishness and it’s at an all-time high when I’m drinking.  But I have learned that when I help others, it helps me! Whether it’s a word of confidence, sitting down and praying with a brother, holding a guy accountable or simply just listening. When I get out of my self and give back, I receive great joy in my heart. But maybe more importantly it produces trust with one another and creates an unbreakable bond among us addicts.

That’s probably the most rewarding part of living at HIA. The brotherhood. It’s a fellowship like none other I have experienced. It’s a bond that can’t be broken.  It’s solid accountability. It’s trust. Its love. It’s being there for someone when they need it the most. It’s putting someone else’s best interest in front of yours.

It’s learning to lay down your life for your brother.

Living at HIA has helped me learn to trust and depend on someone and in turn I have become trustworthy and dependable myself. It’s truly a miracle.

Finally, to the people who have supported HIA, I hope you all realize the change you made in someone’s life. The people you have helped save from certain death.  Because with addiction, it does come down to life or death. And with the support you have given, I know in my heart and can say with confidence that I and my Band Of Brothers will get another chance to live.  To be successful.  To be there for our children and to watch them grow up.  I am forever grateful for your support in HIA.  Thank you for reading my story.

–Chad Robinson

Thank you for taking time to read this story of life change! Each time you choose to support HIA, through gifts, donations or time, you are helping to create life changing stories like Chad’s.

Thank you for investing in our ministry. Thank you for investing in life change!

With Hope,

-Lance