Rafael is planning to graduate the program in June.

Rafael’s story is one of strength and change. He grew up in Glendale, California, with his parents hailing from El Salvador. His dad wasn’t around, and his mom and grandma worked hard to raise him and his siblings. Like many kids, school had its ups and downs. His mom didn’t speak much English, so learning was sometimes a challenge.

As Rafael got older, he started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and school became less important. At 15, he made a decision that changed his life: he dropped out of school and started using methamphetamines.

He found a job, but his addiction took over. He lost his job, his car, and ended up in jail. “Everything started going downhill for me,” Rafael said. “I didn’t care about work or helping my mother anymore.”

In his early 20s, Rafael decided to get in touch with his father, and then went to live with him in Colorado. “It didn’t work out for me. I got into the same situation.” Rafael spent most of his 20s in Colorado, but several of those years were behind bars. He earned an eight-year prison sentence for motor vehicle theft and assault. He pleaded guilty and spent four years in prison.

But inside those prison walls, something shifted. Rafael decided to make a change. “Prison actually ended up being a good experience,” Rafael said. “I decided to sober up. I got in good shape, got my GED, and took a janitorial class and got certified in that.”

In 2015, Rafael left prison a different person. He met his wife, and they had two beautiful children. He found a job at a tire company and then achieved his dream of becoming a truck driver. He was doing well, and he finished his parole.

But when Rafael and his wife faced problems, he turned back to old habits. He started using meth again, and it took over his life. He became angry and difficult to be around. His wife gave him an ultimatum: change or lose everything. “It’s what I’ve known since I was young,” Rafael admitted, explaining his return to old patterns.

Rafael had tried rehab before, but this time, he knew it had to be different. He realized something was missing: faith. He said, “I knew something had to change, and I needed some kind of (different) help. I was just missing God in my life.”

He found a program that focused on faith and healing. Unlike other programs, this one was longer, giving him time to truly change. “Since I’ve been here, I’m free,” Rafael declared. “I can pass a background check, I’m not on probation, I’m happy, things are going great with my wife. I’m being taught to walk with the Lord. If I don’t do that, I’m going to end up right in the place I came from.”

Rafael is 38 now, and he’s determined to make his life better. “I definitely don’t want to go back to doing what I used to. I’ve seen a lot of families ruined, from drinking, drugs. Now I have kids, and I understand how hard it was for my mom. I just want to be that father figure, be that provider to my wife and children.”