Gerald

A Journey from Darkness to Light

There’s something powerful about hearing a story unfold in real time. Sitting down to listen to The Collage Podcast episode featuring Gerald, I expected to learn more about someone I’ve come to know through his work at Feed My Sheep. What I didn’t expect was to be completely drawn into a journey of suffering, redemption, and a commitment to serve others that could only be described as miraculous.

For those who don’t know, Gerald is a peer support specialist working at Feed My Sheep with CCS, a community health program focused on mental health and substance use. He spends his days with the people—walking alongside those suffering from homelessness, addiction, and mental illness, offering them not just resources, but understanding. Because he’s been there himself.

Gerald’s story is one of brokenness and restoration. He spent much of his life working as a master plumber, a profession that provided him with stability and comfort. But in his early thirties, his world was turned upside down by the onset of severe mental health struggles. He began hearing voices—intrusive, menacing voices that tormented him day and night. The diagnosis was a trifecta of mental health conditions: paranoid schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and bipolar disorder. For 12 years, these voices dictated his life, pushing him into isolation, drug use, and a desperate fight for survival.

The loneliness was unbearable. Even the people who loved him most could only take so much, and without true understanding or support, Gerald found himself adrift. The voices weren’t just in his head—they were real to him. They mimicked people he knew, spoke things he had never even learned, and accused, condemned, and threatened him without pause. The weight of it nearly crushed him. He tried everything to fight back—medication, therapy, anything that might quiet the chaos. But nothing worked.

Then, one night, everything changed.

After being awake for two weeks straight, worn down by exhaustion and fear, Gerald collapsed into a fitful sleep. The voices threatened him until the very end, telling him he would be dragged under the bed and stabbed to death. He was too tired to fight anymore. But as he drifted off, something happened—something that defied all logic. He felt a peace he hadn’t known in over a decade. And when he opened his eyes, he saw someone kneeling beside his bed, whether an angel or something else, Gerald doesn’t claim to know. The figure was wrapped in linen, wearing goggles, facing away from him. As soon as he laid eyes on it, it disappeared.

And with it, so did the voices.

For the first time in over a decade, Gerald woke up in silence. The torment was gone. In its place was a desire to start over. He got up that day and cleaned his apartment, did his laundry, and made himself food. It may seem simple, but these were things he hadn’t been able to do in years. His mind had been restored, and he knew who to thank. God had saved him.

With his newfound clarity, Gerald turned outward. He started volunteering at Impact Temple, a church that also provides meals and service, eventually helping in the kitchen. From there, he moved on to the food bank, giving his time to those in need. He rebuilt his life one step at a time, following where God led him. And eventually, that road brought him to CCS, and thankfully for all of us here, to Feed My Sheep.

Now, Gerald spends his days offering the help he wishes he had received during his darkest years. He meets people where they are—whether they’re in the grip of addiction, struggling with mental illness, or just trying to survive another day without a home. And he listens. He offers resources when he people are willing to accept them, but if not, he’s still there for them. He simply sits with them, offering a presence that says, I see you. I understand you. You are not alone.

His story resonates so deeply with the work we do at FMS because it’s a testament to the fact that people are not just their struggles. Homelessness, addiction, and mental illness are not life-defining experiences. They are battles that people fight every day, and they require compassion, patience, and resources to overcome. Gerald embodies that compassion. He’s not just a peer support specialist (his job)—he’s a brother to those he serves. And in a world where loneliness and isolation are epidemics, that connection is everything.

Listening to Gerald’s story reminded me why we do what we do. The people we serve are more than just faces in a crowd. They are stories in progress, testimonies waiting to be told. And sometimes, all it takes is one person to remind them that their story isn’t over yet.

I hope you’ll take the time to pray for Gerald, to thank God for what He does around us, and to remember that every person—no matter their past—has value, worth, and a future that can be redeemed.

To listen to Gerald’s amazing story on The Collage Podcast, as well as other episodes, you can find links to each platform at https://lnk.bio/thecollagepodcast.