Tremaine’s Story

“I Ran From My Feelings”

When people hit rock bottom, they often cry out to God, pleading, “Show me a sign!” That happened to Tremaine a year ago. And God showed him one — literally.

Tired of battling his addictions and emotional pain, Tremaine decided to check out Atlanta Mission one night. At dinner, he looked up and saw the sign on the wall.

It was a picture of a burly guy, with this blurb underneath: Overcoming addiction. Rebuilding his life with the help of Atlanta Mission’s long-term residential recovery program.

“That was it,” Tremaine says today. “I felt like God was saying, ‘This is where you’re supposed to be.’”

It was a long journey to get here . . .

“A big lie all along”

As a child, Tremaine couldn’t figure out why his dad always ignored him. At 18, he learned the truth: The man was not his father. His biological dad, an alcoholic, left while Tremaine’s mom was pregnant. She settled with another man, whom she told Tremaine was his father.

“It was this big lie all along,” Tremaine says. “It messed me up. I had a lot of resentment, but I ran from my feelings. I turned to drugs, and I hung with the wrong crowd because I wanted a family.”

Tremaine was shot in a drive-by shooting. The bullet went through his leg and he recovered, but he knows it could’ve gone through his head or his heart.

He was more careful after that, but kept partying. His drug addictions were out of control. About a year ago, he realized he was “lost and hopeless.” Then a friend pointed him to Atlanta Mission . . .
“Why God put me here”

After getting that “sign,” Tremaine soon had another reason to go clean: Atlanta Mission needed help in the kitchen, and Tremaine, a culinary school graduate, loved to cook.

“That comes from my grandmother,” he says, “seeing her cook for our family, and how it brought everyone together.” Tremaine thrived in the kitchen: “It was like God said, ‘You still get to do what you love to do, even while you get the help you need.’”

Cooking and serving last year’s Thanksgiving meal was one of his biggest thrills. He hopes to do it again this year — this time as a volunteer. Tremaine has graduated from Atlanta Mission, and now has a full-time job as a chef in a local hotel. “I love cooking for people,” he says. “It’s why God put me here.”

Stories like this are a direct result of your kindness and generosity. The lives of men, women, and children are being transformed every day at Atlanta Mission. Thank you for your continued support!