Caught in addiction, bound by the chains of sin. Does this sound like anybody you know? This is the heartbreaking story of Layton Kelly, a native of Tallaght. He grew up like any other young boy in the area, but something happened.

In his early years, Layton attended Kiltalown Primary School. Like many, he was Roman Catholic by birth, but only attended church on special occasions. At twelve years of age he was invited to a football camp presented by Lifegate Bible Baptist Church. At the camp he heard the message of salvation, the message that Jesus Christ could save him from going to hell for his sin. Looking around at the camp leaders, he realized that they had something different, something he wanted. They were bright happy people. That day, Layton decided to put his trust in Jesus Christ alone to save him from his sin and take him to heaven when he would die. He began studying the Bible and attending Lifegate Bible Baptist Church, and was excited about his new life of knowing God.

Things were going well until he reached the early teenage years. He started getting into trouble in school, and got involved with an older crowd. From there, things only went down hill. Layton’s story is one of heartache, for himself and those around him. He stopped going to church and turned his back on God. He began stealing cars and doing drugs.

Ecstasy, LSD, marijuana, heroin, and other drugs became the habit of his early teenage years. Like thousands of others, he became what we know as “a heroin addict.” The next few years are a blur in his life. Trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction, he lived aimlessly, hurting himself and those around him. “I couldn’t see a way out. I tried to get off heroin so many times, but I would only last about a week, not even. I tried methadone programmes, doctors, psychiatrists, but nothing seemed to work. I resigned myself to the fact that I would be a heroin addict for the rest of my life.” The future appeared absent of hope.

At the age of twenty, after taking sleeping pills, he ended up back at the door of Lifegate Bible Baptist Church pleading for help. Pastor David O’Gorman took him in for five months and helped him to prepare for drug rehabilitation. He then went to a Christian centre in Scotland and spent eighteen months recovering and building a new life. His recovery was successful because of the power of God. After he completed the program, he became a member of staff and worked there for two years.

Today, Layton is happily married with a family. When asked how his life has changed, he said, “I have hope.” He has returned to Tallaght to settle down with his family and reach out to those who are caught in the vice of addiction. He has the message of hope, and is living proof that the power of God is able to take any person and bring them out of addiction.

Hi I am Alan o Neill. I was born and reared in Bray co Wicklow. For most of my life I was under the impression that there was no God and I lived my life like that. I had no morals about me, what ever I did; it was always what ever was on the cards at the time. So anything could have happened. I thought I was a free spirit; I could do anything I wanted. If my mates were not into it, I would go to someone who was. I thought this was great, if it felt good, I would do it. Even if it was something I had not done before. It was exciting to do stuff that gets the heart pumping or something that you were not supposed to do. You would hide from people; it made it exciting as long as nobody got hurt - well anybody I knew. This kind of a life involved all the drinking, drugging, partying, sleeping with everybody and anybody, free love and all that was the norm I knew.

I had no conscience of what was right, like, I thought ‘I’m doing nobody any harm. I might rob somebody but I wouldn’t kill them’. We always think other people are worse than us. It’s always ok when we are doing it. It’s only a bit of heroin, its ok. ‘Look I am over 18 I can get drunk’. We are always looking for some satisfaction or buzz or that “something”. But what happens is we numb ourselves that we do no longer feel the need for that touch of something. To feel wanted, to be part of something is the reason why we do the things we do with people; to feel part of something. The bible says ‘the Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me by the still waters’ Psalm 23. I wanted peace, comfort, happiness, love. The bible says we know not at what we stubble at. (Prov 4v19)

I was always looking in the wrong places like drink, drugs, girls, friends and family to get that something. But it just never did it. Life became empty, it meant nothing! Who cared anyway? The world was mad. People didn’t care about me they just got want they wanted. So I said ‘I don’t care!’ I started to hate. I lost any respect I had for anybody, life meant nothing. I thought ‘I might as well go out with a bang and that will show them.’

Then one day, I was in my hostel and these two Christian came to stay. They started to tell me that Jesus could give me a new life, His life and I could give him my life, my life was terrible. I didn’t want it anymore I wouldn’t have given it to my worst enemy. They showed me bits of the bible and I discovered there was a lot of stuff the priest hadn’t told me. All those books in the bible: - revelation, the end times, the prophets - this became interesting. I remembered the old stories but this was new, a breath of fresh air. The bible says to know God is eternal life and God would give me eternal life, it was free! (John 3 v 15, 16) I just had to confess that I was a sinner and that was easy, I knew I was a sinner. But also confess that Jesus is king and Lord of all and I had to trust him for that and I would be saved. I did not want my life so gave it to Jesus that day and my life started to change I felt at peace, a weight came off me. The Lord proved himself to me one day and I knew he was real. I started to look for ways to get off the drugs. I wanted to walk with him and talk to him. The God of the universe loved me Alan O Neill, a drug addict, homeless, and a criminal.

Now to this day it still amazes me that Jesus died for me. At this time I am over four years clean off everything. Life is great! I did the programme at the RU men’s home and now I work in the men’s home in Tallaght. The Lord has restored my relationships with family, friends and most of all with my son. Life is great walking with God I have everything I need. Give your life to Jesus. You will not regret it, God is good. Amen

Gerard Wilson's story

I was raised as a roman catholic. I lived in Tallaght, Dublin with my parents and one sister. I came from a good home. From what I remember my childhood was good. I never went hungry or needed for anything. My mother tried her best. She was a loving mother and was always there for me. I went to the Christian brother’s school in walkinstown. I had many good years there but as I grew up started to smoke. I was about age 12. I also started to smoke Cannabis and get into all sorts of trouble. I used to stay with a cousin at the weekends and went to night clubs and raves in the city. This was during the early 90’s when the rave scene was still popular.

Before long, I was taking Ecstasy tablets regularly. I was going to the raves for about a year; I was sitting my junior cert exams. I had taken so many Ecstasy tablets that my brain was all over the place. I amazingly got through my exams and passed. However I was at the gateway to my drug addiction. I progressed to other drugs like Cocaine, acid, drinking, magic mushroom tea, amphetamines basically whatever I could get my hands on. I always told myself I wouldn’t get caught up with heroin, how foolish I was.

By the age of 16 I was smoking heroin and by age of 19 I was injecting heroin. By my late 20’s I was choked up with criminal convictions. I spent a lot of wasted years in bad addiction. I was a slave to drugs. Prison and drugs defined me as a person. I didn’t know any better, my life just seemed to be miserable. I just kept on returning back to where I began. I couldn’t break the cycle of addiction. I lost everything: - my flat, my family, my son. I couldn’t break the cycle of addiction. I was a tablet junkie, a coke junkie, a heroin addict and an alcoholic.

I couldn’t get free until one day I woke up in hospital that I couldn’t take anymore and I cried out to God to help me. Since then I have graduated from being a student in the RU men’s home, and I volunteer helping out there. I am clean from every substance even cigarettes and alcohol. I have meaning in my life now, a purpose to go on. The Lord has made me whole and happy again. I got saved on the 8th of November 2009 and since then I have relationships back in my life that I never thought possible. The Lord is in the business of fixing lives and he is definitely fixing mine. He can fix anyone’s if you let him!

James Murdoch's story

My name is James Murdoch and I am from Scotland. I am a graduate from the RU men’s home, Dublin, Ireland. I was raised in a Catholic family. I used to go to chapel every week with my Dad and Sister. When I was 12 years old my sister and I didn’t feel right going any more, I don’t know why. I started hanging around with older boys from my area. That’s when it all started to go wrong. I can’t blame them because God gives us free will to choose to do what we want but it feels like you are pressurised at that age to fit in with the crowd.

I started smoking cannabis and drinking, getting into trouble at school. I was basically just turning into a rebel. I wasn’t coming home on time and fighting with other groups of boys. I could have had so much more in my life if I had believed in God from a young age. I used to do athletics and I was told by the British hurling coach that I could have been one of the best but I would turn up at training stoned on cannabis and was told not to come back. I left school at age 15 and began working as an apprentice joiner. It was then I got introduced to valium, ecstasy etc. I started going clubbing and was drinking all the time. I was trying to take myself away from reality because I did not like life. Valium gave me confidence that I never had and they made me feel good. I could talk to people easier and helped with the paranoia as a result of years of smoking hash.

I began to shy away from people especially my family and wouldn’t go to family parties or weddings. I got introduced to heroin at a late age in comparison to others. This drug was like no other. It took all my worries away. It made me feel great. I was smoking it for about 3 months when I started feeling my self changing inside. I was waking up in the morning and thinking of ways to get it. Most of the time I had money because I was working, but the longer I took it, the more I needed. I was smoking seventy pounds a day at the end up. If I wasn’t working I would steal from my mother’s purse or sell things out of her house. I didn’t want to do those things but I couldn’t help it. Heroin takes over your whole life. I couldn’t function without it. I got kicked out of my house so many times. My mum was in a real state by the end of it because of worrying what I was going to do next. I was staying with so called friends who would rip you off.

I always knew something was missing in my life when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I came into the men’s home that I realised it was God that was missing. Once I started reading my Bible and going to the church that the hole that was in me got filled. God used my addiction to show me how much I needed him in my life. I got saved and now I walk with God. I have hurt a lot of people in my life but now I can start to make up for it. God has done so much for me since I came into the men’s home. When I wake up the last thing I think of is taking drugs. I feel great. The Lord is restoring the relationships with my family. I had to go back to Scotland for a serious court case however the Lord over turned the whole thing and the case was thrown out. Praise the Lord. I came back to Ireland a completely free man. I was baptised in February 2010 and now I am looking to the Lord for my future.

Jimi McKenzie's story

My name is Jim McKenzie and I am from Scotland. I was adopted when I was 2 years old by my Gran and Papa. They sent me to Sunday school till I was about age 9 by which time I was starting to get a bit wild. I left the Sunday school and started getting into trouble with the police. I started smoking and drinking and was about 12yrs old when I first smoked Cannabis. My grandparents could no longer control me as I was getting into so much trouble. My Gran was put on tablets for her nerves and I would take them. This started me on tablets abuse.

I was thrown out of school and started doing other drugs, buzzing glue, sniffing gas etc. This led me to my first jail sentence. I was in and out of prison for the next 3 years. After this I tried to settle down. I met a girl and got married. I managed to settle down for a few years but I the returned to my old ways, drinking and taking whatever I could get my hands on. My wife was throwing me out all the time and I was back and forth for about 8 years.

In January 2009 my wife finally had enough of my drinking and ended our marriage. I became really depressed and tried to commit suicide 3 times. I gave up my job and went to Australia to meet my real Mum, brother and sister for the first time. It was ok at first but after 6 months I started drinking again and was hanging around with the wrong people. I nearly killed myself again and decided I had to go back to Scotland.

I was in a bad way when I got home. I went to see my friend Tam, who has been a Christian for 17years. I asked him to help me. He put me in touch with Layton Kelly who runs the RU ministry in Ireland. Five days later I was in the men’s home. It was all new to me at first. They all read their bibles and went to church and sang songs. I thought at first ‘what have I done?’ I had anger problems at the start and didn’t know if I should stay or go. But with a lot of praying, I asked God if He could show me what to do. God answered my prayer and gave me peace. What a feeling peace is! I don’t feel angry anymore. God has changed my life around from being a drunk and a very bad person.

I graduated from the men’s home and I can’t thank Layton and the staff enough. I am now a full time staff worker at the home. I got saved on 25th November 2009 and got baptised on 14th Feb 2010 and I am looking forward to the future. Amen.

Fregs Browne's story

My name is Fregs Browne. I am 32 years of age, and I come from a roman Catholic background. I was brought up in Tallaght with a difficult family background. My parents did their best with me, but when I was 10 years old, I started smoking and drinking. By age 12 I started taking acid and ecstacy. Then when I was 14 I started taking heroin. I started selling drugs and robbing to support my habit – I was in and out of prison most of my life.

I was going nowhere fast, but then I heard of RU through a friend of mine who I used to use drugs with. I saw that his life was changed: he was getting married, and he had a real joy in life. I wanted it. So I started going to the Friday night programme. It was there I was told Jesus Christ could change my life. So I gave it a chance, and sure enough, He did. I went into the men's home and completed the 12 month programme. There I learned discipline and how to put a structure to my every day life, and how to live without having a substance to help me get through the day.

I am currently still living in the home and helping out. I thank God He saved me and led me to the home. I can't wait to see what God is going to do with my life.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.