Need Encouragement? Hear these stories of HOPE!

Hi, I'm Mayra. 12 years ago, I tried to kill myself by taking a bunch of sleeping pills. I just want you to know you're not alone. You don't have to go that far. Please get help and know that you're not alone. I felt alone and I was scared and I had no one to talk to. You have people to talk to. Go to the Center for Recovery or any self-help group out there. Hello, everyone. My name is Thomas Dolan. I'm blessed to be here today. Just to give you a little background on me, I'm here today doing this 5K walk for recovery. I'm doing it for a special person also because she suffered from addictions and stuff. We're blessed to be here today. Through the grace of God that I'm able to be here today. I turned myself over to the Lord just about a year ago. I'm here to run for Miss Vicki Lee. She had passed away seven months ago. It helped me grow closer to the Lord. What I really learned about was love and the love that the Father has for you. He prepares you for things in your life that you can overcome. I turned everything over to the Lord. I'm here. He's the Lord of restoration. I was able to reunite with my kids and mother two weeks ago in my hometown, New Jersey. It has been five years. He blessed me with that. Then I was praying because I knew he had other plans for me. Those plans were to come here and help others. I'm now with the Epperson House with Mr. Steven Dees. It's been my calling to come here and give awareness to everyone else out there that there's hope. Just give yourself to the Lord and allow him to continue writing that story that he wrote for me before I was even in my mother's womb. I'm so thankful and grateful to be here today and to be able to speak to you guys. I'm telling you, if I can do it, anyone can do it as long as you give that heart to the Lord. He's been such a blessing in my life with restoration. I'm just ready to continue my journey that the Lord has put out there for me. I love you guys. I love the Lord. Thank you, Jesus, for even allowing me to be here and speak today. Thank you. Hello, my name is Michael Smallin. I'm going to start off by saying that I want everyone to have hope and to believe in your dreams, to know that you can achieve anything through Christ, anything. I grew up in a rough home, surrounded by drugs, violence. I recently just lost my 13-day-old daughter. Things are rough sometimes, but God can get you through anything. You just have to believe in God, believe in yourself. I don't really know what to say. It's my first time speaking, but I hope this message reaches a lot of people. I hope that I can at least help one person, save one person. You're not alone. That's the main thing I want to say, is you're

not alone. This thing's coming in on you right now, but you're not alone. God loves you. Reach out. If anybody needs help, reach out. You don't have to do this alone. You can do anything through Christ. That's all I want to say. Thank you. This is for everybody in Blount County. They're incarcerated. I'm Billy Stinnett. I'm a living, walking proof that the Lord can change our ways. I've known in Blount County by selling ice. I sold to a lot of people, so I hope this reaches out to you. The good Lord can save your life. Thank you, Jesus. If we all think, I mean, just for the parents out there, just think. If you're intimate with the Lord and think of using the Lord's Physician, just thinking their kids are carrying on the cross, and just be taking a whip to them, and we got thorns on your head, just pouring the blood. Man, that's deep, ain't it? So, I encourage them to have an intimate relationship with their Lord and Savior, God, because He is loving. He sent His Son to die for our sins. Thank you, Jesus. We just want to pray with Him for a minute. This is a short verse, but I want to be known and seen that God is a loving God. or help me partner on a thank you for a day with a piece that are broken. I think it'll have a chance and just thinking that everything's on their shoulders, that they don't have the chance. You do this. Eat your second stance, that third tent, their fourth chance. This never leave, never lose hope. He's never going to leave your sign. All you got to do is just ask your freshest name. Be this is a blood is the just thing. Gee. My name is David Graves. I just want to let everybody know I am a very grateful believer, a deep scribe, a son of God's. I spent about 30 years in active addiction, did 21 years in prison brought the other time up to mess ups. God is real and that spirit lives in us. So we can learn. I'll try to find a better way. I know that the word is alive, it comes alive in us, and it's up to us to just love everybody. It's not as difficult that people make it.

Don't have to pray to and don't have to pray to anything. Others and make God all my. I love everybody and I hope everyone, y'all fine. And I didn't read that simple. Man, let's down one. Well, what I want. I must have another room. Good morning, Maryville. My name is Brandon McGreal, and I just want to just tell you a little story about myself. So a few months ago, I was dead to this world. But today I am here standing and breathing. Woke up another day. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Jesus. And I just wanted to tell you guys a little thing about Isaiah 43. Isaiah 43 is coming to me right now, and it just reminds me. And I just want to remind you, even though we're going through any kind of deep water, anything that we're going through, any kind of storms that we're going through, he will get us through that. We will not drown any kind of fire, anything that we are going through. These days, we will not get burned up and we will not get consumed. I just want to let you guys know. No matter where you're at, no matter what you're going to, if you just turn to Jesus, give all your worries to God, he will get you through it. And I just want to let you guys know that we are here today and we are doing the race for recovery and we are all doing it. Thank you. All glory to God. It is not us, but it is he who that lives in us. We thank you and we love you.

Our father, God, our Lord, Jesus Christ. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. How y'all doing out there? My name's Steven, man. I've been in a struggle with addiction for most all my life. I'm up here to tell y'all now through the power of Jesus Christ and the word of God, you can be delivered. So everybody out there, if you struggle in addiction, just to hit your knees and pray and give it to God, man. And I promise you, you can turn your life around. Praise Jesus. People out there, my name is Jerry Husky, and I struggled with drugs and alcohol and all sorts of issues in my life. But God has brought me through that. And I just want to give courage to everybody out there that's listening to this, that if I can, if he can do it through me, he can do it through you. And I give him all the praise, honor and glory. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Hey, for anybody that's out there listening, my name is Jonas Bowden. Must have been 10 years. She's a marketed federal creditor. So anyone struggling out there with hope, man, if I can do it, y'all can do it. It took me a while to realize that, man, Jesus, my Lord and Savior, there's one thing I can say is, man, he has come into my life to be saving. So anyone out there who's struggling in life, y'all can do it. Work out there. If I can, y'all can. You know, I hate that it took that long, but man, I just realized, man, Jesus, he is alive, why he can't save us. He saved me, he's to save y'all. Hey, guys, what's up? My name's Royce.

I'm 26 years old. I've been using drugs for a long time. I started real young, hanging out with older people and stuff. And I just slowly progressed, man. It just keeps getting worse as you go on, man. I ended up in jails and prison and everything. I've done therapy and all that, man. None of that stuff worked for me, man, but Jesus is the way, man. Jesus is the way. God bless y'all, man. Have a good day. My name is Gage Givens. I started doing bad things at a young age because I went through a lot of childhood trauma. I'm sure there's a lot of young guys and girls in my same situation. None of y'all are alone. Need help? Just reach out and get help. I don't want to hurt all these guys. Do your part. But I don't want to live like that no more. I'm a new son. I'm a son of God. I'm going to keep working for the Lord and keep doing right. And that's all you can do. Keep your faith, helping them and doing things you want them to do for you. Pretty much all I have to say. If you need help, reach out and get help. Don't be afraid to do it. Hey, everybody. My name is Lindsey. I come from a life of addiction, being broken and lost, not knowing my purpose in life or anything like that. You know, I found Jesus Christ, and he turned my life around. If not for him, I wouldn't have nothing, you know?

I've been saved. I'm found. I'm loved. I'm wanted. I am redeemed. I'm forgiven. Ain't nothing in my past on my back anymore, you know? It's all because of the Lord Jesus Christ. Recovery is possible. You just got to really want it, you know? So this is for everyone out there that's still broken and lost and in addiction or anything like that. You know, it is possible. If I can do it, you can do it. Hard drugs are not my identity anymore. Love y'all. Hey, y'all. This is Chris. Been in and out of jail, addiction. Spray bad. God bless y'all. Hey, my name's Kurt. I was on the street. I was a real bad drug addict, but thanks to God and Everson, they really helped me. I could do it. I know you could do it. Thanks. Hey, guys. My name is Kat, and I just want to say thank you for taking a moment to join us, and I want to give you a moment of hope to know that you're not forgotten,

that we remember you, we see you, God sees you, and he's got a plan for you. We just happened to be at our race for recovery this morning and it's a bit chilly, but the reason we do this is because we believe everyone deserves an opportunity to heal and recover, and that means you, too. And so please stay connected. Do what you can. Stay focused. Spend time in the Word, because you know what? God's got a plan for you. He does. He created you for a purpose. Gotta know that for sure. Hold on. And we're here when we're praying for you, and so join us. Am I allowed to talk about Rio Revolution? So check us out on Pando at Rio Revolution Church on Sunday mornings, and also we have Celebrate Recovery Services on there. Write to us. We have some folks that would love to write you back. Hey, my name is James Dallas. I'm originally from Maryville, Tennessee. I struggled with addiction for about 30 years of my life, and God has completely restored me. Thankful, so thankful for Celebrate Recovery here in Blount County.

I work in treatment center in Jelnik in Knoxville, and I'm extremely, extremely blessed to be where I am today. I couldn't fathom my life as much as it's changed. Good morning, y'all. We're out here with Rio Revolution and God's community out here in Maryville. We're doing a 5K race for recovery, and man, it's just all about, you know, just keep a one foot forward, walking on the water with Jesus right here. Don't pay attention to the storm around you. Keep your eyes focused on God and his mercy and his love, and know that no matter whenever you reach out for him, he gonna hear you. He gonna come for you. You know what I'm saying? He says everybody. I would encourage those who feel like maybe that they ain't getting what they need out there in life, to know that what they're missing is a relationship with God. Relationship with God will fix everything. It fixed me, fixed my problems, fixed everything that I felt like I was missing in life. I felt like I was lonely. I was depressed. I was failing at everything. And once I just kind of surrendered and gave it all to God and let God kind of control everything,

not kind of control everything, really control everything, it's just been going like the ocean, endlessly, nonstop today. So I just want to tell y'all I love you. Have a blessed day out there. Jesus. My name is Jeremiah Root. I've been in places where people die every day from drug overdose, getting stopped and stuff like that. I've been in places where people love each other unconditionally every day in church and even not in church. And when I was six years old, I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. And the only thing that I wish I could have done different about my life is that I wish I could have asked him to be my Lord and Savior sooner. So I hope y'all have a good day. Jesus Christ, in your name I ask that you have great days and afraid of the power to hold me scared. All right, good.