Fabian’s Story

Thank you for loving your neighbor, Fabian, and giving him hope for the future!

“I didn’t want to admit I needed help…”

At 13, Fabian wanted badly to be grown up. So, when he saw the adults laughing and drinking at gatherings, he thought that must be what it was all about. He began sneaking beer, not realizing that an addiction was strengthening its grip on him.

From his teens into his 20s, Fabian drank every day and even experienced blackouts. “I didn’t want to admit I needed help,” he says. “I was a functioning alcoholic – until I wasn’t anymore.” Eventually, he lost his job, began sleeping behind buildings and wound up in the hospital.

Knowing he needed a change, he entered a rehab program. That’s when Fabian heard about our Life Change Academy. He joined our program, but the truths he was learning to face about his addiction were too much for him, so he left… and soon found himself back in the hospital.

Even with his health suffering, he had no intention of returning to the Mission until he experienced a moment of divine intervention. One day, at a local mini-mart, a man took one look at Fabian and said, “You don’t belong here. Go back to the Mission. Now!”

Fabian was startled by these words but sensed God’s voice behind them, so he decided to take this stranger’s advice.

The day he walked back into Visalia Rescue Mission, everything changed for Fabian. “They welcomed me with open arms, and I was overwhelmed and humbled by that expression of grace.”

“Jesus is allowing me the strength to stay sober.”

Fabian remembers the moment he accepted Jesus Christ into his heart. He was at the Mission, starting over with his journey to sobriety. “I prayed, ‘I don’t know how to do this. I need to give this to you, Lord.’” In that instant, he took the first step toward real recovery.

“Some days are challenging, but my craving for alcohol decreases daily. I’m committed to keep on working and continuing to grow,” he says with a smile. He’s learned to be accountable, but also to forgive himself and others.

Fabian is thankful for the way you have answered Jesus Christ’s calling to love your neighbor as yourself – and have helped him learn how to love himself. “I’m so grateful to the Mission for helping me become a gentler, more receptive person.”

Fabian’s story is featured in the Summer 2023 edition of Hope Now.