I am an alcoholic and opiate addict in recovery. Before I came to the Mission, my drinking and pill-popping habit had forced my daughter to put me out of her home. She dropped me off at a homeless shelter in Stockton. I moved from one shelter to another for about a year, and in June 2020 I came to the Modesto Gospel Mission. During my first year at the Mission, I was told by a staff member that I would be a good candidate for the New Life Program. Someone gifted me a Bible, and I discovered a desire to know God’s word for the first time in my life. I started recognizing that God had never left me; I left him. I opened my heart and allowed him to start working in me and through me again. I discovered that my strongest spiritual gifts are "helps” and “service.” I would like to continue to help others and serve at my home church. I started working part-time at a thrift store through the Salvation Army.

I would love to eventually work a full-time job through the ministry training I received. I love God. I love people. I want the love of Jesus to shine through me.

- Heather Burns