Testimony of Skeet Galloway

Back in ‘87, most people would have thought things were fine for me. Gladys and I had been married for 18 years and we had 2 wonderful daughters. I had a 2 year college degree and a good job as an industrial engineer. I had served my country in the US Air Force and even spent a year in Vietnam.

Yet, there I was, for some reason, not happy with my life. I was 40 years old and I didn’t know what the problem was. I should have been satisfied but I wasn’t. I started looking for a way to escape. Some friends gave me powder cocaine and then crack cocaine and things really went down hill from there. When my company found out I was doing drugs, they put me in a rehab program. My sins were compounding. I was reacting to circumstances in all the wrong ways and now I felt conspicuous. Because of my pride I left my company, and went back to drugs.

I kicked around in odd jobs for about 10 years. I put blame everywhere, but on myself. I tried blaming my parents and circumstances, when really it was my fault for choosing to do the wrong things.

Praise the Lord, I got saved in August 1997, but I had a lot of growing to do. Last October, I told my wife good-bye; I was going to either Greensboro or Durham. Since it was easier to hitchhike towards Durham, that’s the way I went. Now, I can see the Lord’s hand leading me where He wanted me to be.

At the VA they directed me to the Durham Rescue Mission. I only stayed for 30 days and then made another bad decision. I left and went back home. I wasn’t ready. I had no grounding in the Word of God. Yet God continued to lead in my life. After a few weeks, I told my wife “Honey, I’m going back to the Rescue Mission and get in the Victory Program.”

At the Durham Rescue Mission I have learned more about the Bible and about myself than I did in all my life before. Now, I am about to graduate and go back to my wife in Reidsville. I am looking forward to learning more about the Bible and being a Christian husband.

I especially want to thank the people in the Reidsville area who support the Durham Rescue Mission. You have been helping a ministry about 75 miles from home and perhaps you had no idea you’d be helping a local man. I just want you to know your contributions are not in vain. THANK YOU!

Special Note: Skeet graduated from the "Victory Program" on July 2, 1998. He has been a real help around the mission while he was here and we will miss him. Please remember him and his wife, Gladys, in your prayers.

Update - May 10, 1999: Skeet called today to receive our monthly newsletter. He was praising the Lord for re-uniting his family. He and his wife of 28 years, along with his two daughters, are now members of a local church in the Reidsville, NC area. For Mother's Day, Skeet gave his wife a wedding ring. They plan to renew their vows soon. He happily reported that he has been alcohol, drug, and cigarette free for 15 months now. Skeet has been traveling to Durham to the VA hospital for treatments every two months since January. He plans to visit with us in his next trip. He was thankful for all that God has done in his life. He wanted to share his thankfulness for the ministry of the Durham Rescue Mission and for the faithfulness of Preacher Mills. He stated that God has used the mission to turn his life around. We are thankful we were here to help and praise the Lord for all he has done in Skeet's life.