When Jace Allen came to the Mission with a vicious drug habit, he wasn’t trying to straighten out anybody’s life but his own. Now, three years later, he’s in charge of a unique program in downtown Seattle that helps former addicts re-enter society. What an amazing turnaround! “The life I would have given away for a $20 bag of heroin I wouldn’t trade for anything today,” he says. Over the span of 33 months, Allen has gone from being a homeless junkie to being on staff at First Presbyterian Church. From sleeping in a Belltown alley to helping other ex-junkies re-connect with society. “I’m not just doing this because it’s the right thing to do,” he says. “I’m doing it out of a deep sense of appreciation for what God – and Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission – has done for me.” When Allen thought his life was over, the Mission helped him to re-discover how much God loved him. And how to give that love away. That led Allen and a group of friends at his church to start the New Life Community Program – teaching men coming out of recovery how they can become contributing members of their community. With a passion to see lives changed – and a $150,000 gift from an anonymous donor – Allen converted the church basement into a home for six men. A home with “real furniture, real beds, and real showers where guys have their own towels.” Allen is their friend, their mentor, and at times, their teacher (From his advanced computer class he started “Jesus @,” taking old computers, refurbishing them, and giving them away to those who need them – like an AIDS orphanage in Kenya.) Although New Life just started in January, one of the six residents has already found steady work and has moved out on his own. His bed was immediately filled by a recent graduate from another recovery program. Right now Jace Allen is focusing on these six men. But over time, the vision God has given him could make an impact on hundreds of others. That’s how seeds of hope are planted. And how one changed life can result in new life for so many more.