When Kevin and Debra first met OCRM Senior Chaplain Ray Green, neither of them had much hope. Although they both had a Christian background, they found themselves wondering how God could have allowed such dire circumstances to invade the lives of His children.

Debra was barely getting by, staying with various family members and just trying to find a way out...or up...or into something that would relieve the daily pressures of mere survival. She finally (and reluctantly) was forced to send her 14-year-old son to live with his father. “Is God still with me?” she lamented.

Meanwhile, Kevin, Debra's on-again, off-again boyfriend of four years, was having his own troubles. He lived in a church shelter as he struggled with feelings of anger and bitterness over the circumstances of which he felt so undeserving. “I didn't deserve to go through what I was going through,” says Kevin. “I would look around and see sinners prospering, and me in want, and it made me very bitter.”

In April of 2003, shortly after Kevin and Debra were enrolled in OCRM's Strong Beginnings Program, Debra became pregnant with her now one-year-old son, Rahzi. Chaplain Ray then referred her to Casa Teresa, a home for pregnant women, where she stayed for four months. After that, Debra stayed with her sister until the birth of her son in January, 2004.

It's not surprising that Kevin and Debra were a little confused about God's involvement in their lives at this point. The pastor they looked to for advice told them that, because of their lack of responsibility in producing a child out of wedlock, the best course of action was to get an abortion. (With pastors like that, who needs temptation from the devil?)

What didn't occur to either Debra or Kevin was the possibility that they might own some responsibility for the circumstances in which they found themselves; they had forgotten, or never knew, that God's promises many times hinge on our willingness to conform to His ways. That's where the Strong Beginnings Program came into play.

To start with, OCRM Mental Wellness Manager John Depaola began to work with Kevin at getting to the bottom of his anger toward God. Slowly, he realized that God had never forsaken him, but that he had blamed God for the consequences of his own wrong choices. In the meantime, Chaplain Ray, in addition to working to secure a stable living environment for the three of them, was counseling with Kevin on the importance of honoring God in everything that we do.

In 1 Samuel 2:30, God said, “Those who honor me, I will honor.” This was not news to Kevin. As a Christian of 24 years, Kevin already felt hypocritical about his relationship with Debra. As his bitterness began to melt and his heart began to soften, he grew more and more convicted about honoring God as well as Debra. By February of 2004, they finally were able (with the assistance of OCRM) to move into a motel, and three months later, Kevin and Debra were married. “I wanted to honor God and honor my wife,” says Kevin, “so we married.”

Since then, they have been overwhelmed by God's blessings. Their motel room is completely furnished with donated items, family relationship have been restored, and employment opportunities have opened up. Debra is 6 weeks into REstart, a training program designed to help homeless or disadvantaged men and women obtain marketable careers in real estate management. Kevin has a full load at Fullerton Junior College and is optimistic about his family's future.

“I just thank the Strong Beginnings Program, the Orange County Rescue Mission and all the people who donated, because if it wasn't for them, none of this would have been possible,” Debra proclaims. I can't say enough about the help that I've received from God through them.” Kevin and Debra's faith in God and assurance of His love for them is stronger than ever. Kevin boldly states, “I can't mention Jesus too much in this interview because when it's printed, I want the people to know that with God, all things are possible. I'm living proof of it.”

When Kevin first met Ray, he thought that Ray had no hope for him, but that wasn't the case at all. Ray says, “I knew this would work, even though their hope was at a glimmer point when I met them. Debra believed in the Lord in her heart when I met her, and so did Kevin. I knew that if they already had the Lord in their heart, it was just a matter of time.”