My name is Bill. I was born in Philadelphia and raised in the Richard Allen Project. In 1959, we moved to Germantown where I grew up in a poor environment within a dysfunctional family. I experienced the negative effects of poverty, mental illness within family members, mental abuse and physical beatings. As a result, I suffered from depression and low self-esteem which led me into drug and alcohol use.
When I grew older, I began to live with my girlfriend and we had a son together. However, I did not treat her well, and we finally broke up and she left taking my son with her. I continued my downward path which included having to deal with my mother and elder brothers’ mental illness. As well as that, I was also responsible for taking care of my two younger brothers. All this time, I was trying to deal with my own depression.
I finally ended up in a rehab program in 1998. It was there that I was first introduced to God and His love for me. I welcomed these new ideas because they brought me comfort. When I left the program, I once more became immersed in my old problems with my family. I found that my new awareness of God was not enough to keep me from falling back into my old ways. I groveled around in Philadelphia for a while falling into and out of meaningless little jobs.
I finally hit rock bottom and turned in desperation to my younger brother, Warren who had moved to Lancaster to attend Millersville University. I followed him to Lancaster and found a place to stay… Water Street rescue Mission. This is where I finally met God in a life changing way.
What happened next? Well that will be in the next installment…. WATCH THIS SPACE.
-Bill, WSRM resident
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