“When I was 17, I watched my mom get shot in the head.” Dustin is speaking without emotion as he says this. Now 32, he’s sharing his life story, including that vivid memory. And it doesn’t stop there.
He says that his mother’s boyfriend at the time was a crack addict who demanded that she give him money for bail. When his mom refused, he shot her. Dustin and his brother jumped toward him; he then pointed his gun at them and said, “You want to die next?” They ducked aside, and the shooter took off running. He was later caught and went to jail for his crime.
Incredibly, Dustin’s mother lived. But that miracle wasn’t enough to keep Dustin from diving deep into the drug scene himself. He spent the next 20 years battling his addictions, alternating between holding jobs and getting into legal trouble.
Dustin’s most recent bust was for dealing cocaine and resisting arrest, which landed him in jail for almost a year. He had plenty of time to self-evaluate: “I did bad stuff my whole life. I’m done with that.”
Dustin plea-bargained for a reduced sentence, under the condition he’d go to the Mission for help. Before long, he was a changed man. “They helped me practically and spiritually,” says Dustin, who works in the Mission warehouse.
“I like living like this, being sober. It makes me realize what I’ve not been doing for years.”
Just like Dustin, you help men find new life at the Mission. Thank you!