Like the Roman solider, Raymond went from disbelief to discovery. Two thousand years after a Roman soldier discovered the truth about Jesus Christ, a drug addict named Raymond had his own spiritual breakthrough --- during a Bible study at Seattle's Union Gospel Mission. For years, Raymond had been searching for meaning to his life. Then a Bible teacher told him that "God created us for a reason.. to give Him expression."

That got Raymond thinking. "This is exactly what I have been waiting all my life to hear," he explains. "That I wasn't some biological accident."

The next day Raymond was back in Bible study. And he kept coming back. "The more I attended, the more convinced I became that being at the Mission was a 'calling.'"

Now he had a tough decision to make.

When Raymond first began attending Bible study, he was just "killing time," waiting for a plane ticket that would take him to Alaska to work. Then the plane ticket arrived, and he had to choose: either fly off to Alaska as he had originally planned, or join the Mission and have the chance to grow closer to God.

Raymond chose to stay in Seattle --- a decision that has now brought redemption and peace to his life.

For years, Raymond was a "functioning addict" who tried everything from alcohol to acid, marijuana to crack cocaine. To support his habit he would fly to Alaska to work for a short time, sometimes earning as much as $15,000. Then he would fly back home and spend all his money, only to repeat the cycle all over again.

"You can only do that for so long before it gets old," he says.

When Raymond came to the Mission, he says he discovered God's purpose for his life. He went through our New Creations recovery program and graduated form Advanced Christian Therapy (for people who want to go into ministry). Today, he works as a case manager with the New Creations program.

"If you want to get well, this is the place to go," he says.