From Under the Bridge to ONE HOPE Intern

The following is a testimony Mark Perkins shared at The Garden Church on December 8, 2019, prior to his baptism.

My name is Mark, as you guys know. I was born in DC. I grew up and lived in Havre de Grace around high school. Growing up in church, my mom was very religious. We had Sunday School and church every Sunday. They preached the Gospel, but at the time I didn't get it. They were just words to me. Upon graduating from high school, I fell away from the church. I thought I was living a good life, I was a nice guy, not out there in the streets, but really, I was living for the world.

Eventually, I became a recreational drug user. For a good part of my life, I worked a number of jobs, partied on the weekends, and lived for myself. I got married at 43 years old to Tammy Baker. For nine years, we were living what I thought was a good life. We were both partiers on the weekends, but we were working jobs and had a nice townhouse and a decent life. That all came crashing to an end, nine years later, when Tammy suddenly passed away.

I got into drugs a lot deeper after Tammy died. I spiraled and for years, I sold drugs to support my habit. This addiction consumed me. Through supplying drugs to others, I met Amanda who became part of my life. Eventually, I got arrested for possession. During my incarceration, I lost everything––my car, my house––everything. After I was released, I found myself homeless, using drugs daily, and Amanda and I moved into the city. We were sleeping under bridges and surviving the best we could.

One day, while I was standing out on the corner holding a sign begging for money, God brought into my life David Scott, a member of The Garden Church. He invited Amanda and I to come to The Garden Church. I really believe all of this brokenness and loss was part of God's plan to save me. We first came for the wrong reasons––for financial help. But once we got here, it wasn't about that anymore. It's hard to put into words, but the singing, the preaching––everything was amazing. 

One Sunday, the sermon and the singing was so uplifting. The Gospel truth which I always knew in my head, connected with my heart, and I was converted. Upon my conversion, I immediately wanted to stop using and do the right thing. Since I was physically addicted to heroine, it was nearly impossible to just come off. After conversations with the elders, Amanda and I both expressed our desire to turn ourselves in to the police because we had warrants for our arrest. I knew that this was the right thing to do before the Lord and I also knew I could detox in prison. 

In prison for six months, I read the Bible completely through two times and had plenty of time to grow strong in my faith. Pastors and members from The Garden Church were visiting and teaching me the Bible during those months. 

I was released on September 13, and within five days, I fell to temptation. I used again. Immediately after I used, I felt despair: "Why God did I do this?" But with that, I knew that I never wanted to do that again. I believe it was Satan that tricked me that day. But it was the Holy Spirit that kept me. I was clean for six months in jail, and now I've been clean for 83 days since then. But more than just being clean, I'm happy that I'm saved and am a Christian. For the past few months, I've been here at the church and taking intern classes at the office every day, growing in my faith. Every day I walk home, I just want to help others and please God.

Mark is an intern at ONE HOPE. ONE HOPE internships focus on raising up leaders from the context, for the context. You can support Mark’s internship through clicking the “Partner” tab above.