Two years ago, Robert Princole was a different man. A building mason, husband and father of four, the 35-year-old was barely holding his life together. Escalating drug addiction had led to legal and financial problems.

"I spent most of my money on drugs," he says. "Then we got put out of our home and wound up living with friends who were also addicts."

Robert and his wife were out of control. Their two daughters, ages 14 and 12, had to care for themselves and their two baby brothers. The older girl started skipping school. Her grades fell, and she ran with a bad crowd.

"My daughters lost respect for me. I was never there," says Robert. "They wanted the drugs to stop. But at that time, I couldn't have cared less."

But eventually, Robert did care. He longed for something better for himself and his family. In January 2002, he called Open Door Mission for help. That same evening, his whole family moved into a single room here.

Not long after, Robert joined the New Life Recovery programs , and his wife soon followed suit. The programs gave the Princole family a structure to live by. They received counseling, and their lives began to change for the better.

Robert explains, "It didn't happen overnight. My wife and I got help with our drug addiction. The kids came to respect us as parents again. We all took Bible classes and got closer to God."

The family also attended church several times a week. "The Lord was speaking to my heart, and the Bible became more and more interesting to me," Robert says. Because he was coming out of a harsh world, Robert had a lot of questions and they were answered for him. Something inside of him began to shift.

Robert is no longer a mason, but he's building in different ways. He's now a minister in his church, a chaplain and day camp counselor for Open Door Mission, and is attending school to become a certified drug dependency counselor. Each day he builds bridges of faith and confidence for himself, his family and others at the Mission who struggle as he once did.

Because he knows what it's like to lose control to addiction, Robert feels called to preach and help others. Doing so fulfills him in ways he never thought possible. And as a humbling reminder of God's role in his recovery, he carries the words of the 23rd Psalm in his heart:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  Robert

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