From Struggle to Strength

Even then, Angelo struggled. “I was always in the principal’s office for fighting, but I was mostly fighting to defend the helpless.” He wasn’t acting out of anger—he was protecting others, even as a kid.

Through all the chaos, faith remained a thread woven through his life. “God builds you the way He wants you to work for Him… The Lord will not put on you what He feels you cannot handle.” Angelo believed—even the hardships were shaping him for something greater.

His life changed forever at age 28. His girlfriend’s mother was on her deathbed. “I put my hand on her foot and prayed, ‘God, please just take the pain from her. Let her know everything is going to be okay.’ Next thing I know, I start talking in tongues—that was my ultimate spiritual awakening. To truly, truly have faith that there’s something bigger than myself out there.”

After that, Angelo faced heartbreak that cut deep. The relationship ended, leaving him devastated, but still he leaned on faith—“turning a negative into a positive.”

Then came another blow. After serving 6.5 years in prison and working hard to rebuild his life, Angelo secured Section Eight housing and pushed forward even through the pandemic. But when he was falsely accused of something he didn’t do, he lost his housing and stability all over again.

Homeless once more, he struggled to find work. Yet every time life knocked him down, Angelo held tightly to the hope that God was still working.

Now, at GRM, Angelo is taking real steps toward rebuilding. Every day, he focuses on becoming “better than what I was yesterday.” Surrounded by support, learning new skills, and growing spiritually, he hasn’t lost faith—he’s deepened it. He believes more than ever in transforming negatives into positives.

Angelo is moving forward, one faithful step at a time.