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"My greatest happiness is not simply seeing a man come through Hand Up Ministries doors.
It is seeing him stand on his own feet- and then turn around and hold the door open for another."
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A message from David Nichols | Founder & President
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Every week, another man walks out of prison carrying what little he owns—and sometimes carrying more fear than he knows how to express. He has paid his debt, but freedom does not come with a house key, a job, a meal, or someone waiting to say, ‘You belong here.’ Too often, the street is the only place ready to receive him.
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For years, that has been the struggle at Hand Up Ministries: finding one more bed, one more opening, one more way to say yes when the need is already greater than the space we have. I know there are men still waiting, and I know what can happen when they have nowhere safe to go. Some days the responsibility feels heavy. We stretch what we have, solve one problem, and find another waiting at the door.
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But then I see a man arrive—tired, uncertain, and afraid—and I watch what happens when someone offers him a warm meal, a place to sleep, help finding work, and the simple dignity of being treated as a human being. His shoulders begin to loosen. He starts showing up for his job. He learns the names of the men around him. Slowly, the fear in his eyes makes room for hope. That is why we keep going.
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One of the greatest rewards is something no report or number can fully explain. It happens when a resident who came to us with almost nothing notices another man with even less. He shares his food. He offers a shirt, a ride, a little money from his paycheck, or an encouraging word to someone newly released. No one has to tell him what that first night of uncertainty feels like. He remembers.
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Only these men truly know the loneliness of stepping into a world that may not welcome them, the fear of having nowhere to go, and the courage it takes to trust again. When they reach back for the next man, I see more than generosity. I see healing. I see a second chance becoming a chance for somebody else.
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I am grateful for the Hand Up Ministries staff, our chaplains, volunteers, and everyone who stands beside these men day after day. No one person can do this work alone. Together, we offer housing, food, employment support, accountability, friendship, and the belief that a man's worst chapter does not have to be his last.
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My greatest happiness is not simply seeing a man come through our doors. It is seeing him stand on his own feet—and then turn around and hold the door open for another. That is the heart of Hand Up Ministries. We cannot erase the past or promise an easy road ahead. But with God's help, we can offer a hand up, a safe place to begin, and the hope of a life rebuilt. One home. One job. One second chance at a time.
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David Nichols
Founder & President, Hand Up Ministries, Inc.
Offering a hand up, not a hand out.
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For many men coming out of prison, the hardest part is not just leaving the past behind—it is facing an uncertain future with nowhere to go, no support system, and very little hope. Hand Up Ministries means more than a place to stay. It means a safe bed, warm meals, guidance, prayer, accountability, and the chance to start over with dignity.
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The following resident testimonials reflect what arriving at Hand Up Ministries means to new residents who arrive broken, afraid, and unsure of what would come next. Their words share the relief of being welcomed, the comfort of finding hope, and the gratitude of discovering that through Hand Up Ministries, they were given not just shelter—but a real second chance.
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Hand Up Ministries Residents deserve to tell their testimonials with dignity, compassion, and hope. Through Hand Up Ministries "Open Door" they will be able to recognize their own journey and feel proud of how far they have come with the help of God and Hand Up Ministries, Inc.
I was raised in a two parent family with five siblings. My family was a loving, conservative Lutheran family. We attended church every Sunday. My father owned a small grocery store, and he was able to provide the basic needs for his family through long hours away from home. I admired my father’s work ethic, but I have few memories of us spending time together in my childhood. I studied hard in school, and I graduated with a plan to pursue a career in either medicine or biological research.
I was fortunate to attend a university that was well equipped to prepare me to make the decision to become a dentist. I drifted away from organized religion when I was in college. I became more focused on the biological sciences. I was comfortable studying the wonders of science, the miracles of the natural world, and the art of healing the sick. It was only after graduating with a doctoral degree in dental surgery that I realized the miracles, the wonders, and the beauty in life are given to us by God.
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I drifted away from the church again when I committed my crime, I was ashamed, angry, and depressed because I failed my family and my friends. I realized I had failed God, but I will never fail Him again. Hand Up Ministries is the perfect example of God’s undying love. David Nichols and all of the Hand Up staff have developed a program that teaches and assists ex-offenders and allows them to re-order their life. Hand Up has shown me that God forgives us all, so we must forgive others.
There was a time in my life when I wondered if I would ever truly be free again. Prison took away my freedom, but the hardest prison to escape was the one I carried inside myself. The memories, the mistakes, the regrets, the guilt, and the shame followed me every day.
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There were nights when I questioned my worth and mornings when I wondered if my life would ever have meaning again. I had made mistakes, but deep in my heart, I prayed that God had not given up on me.
And He hadn’t.
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God saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself. He saw a man worth saving, a heart worth healing, and a life that still had a purpose.
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When I walked out of prison, I was free in the eyes of the law, but I still needed to learn how to be free in my heart.
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That’s when God opened a door for me through Hand Up Ministries.
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Hand Up Ministries didn’t just give me a place to live. It gave me something I desperately needed: hope, acceptance, encouragement, and the opportunity to start over.
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I discovered that my past did not have to determine my future. I learned that I could hold my head high again, not because I was perfect, but because God’s grace was greater than my mistakes.
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Today, when I look in the mirror, I don’t want to see just the man who went to prison. I want to see the man God is helping me become.
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I am learning to forgive myself, to appreciate the small blessings of each day, and to understand that freedom is more than walking outside prison walls. Real freedom is waking up knowing that God loves me, that my life matters, and that tomorrow can be better than yesterday.
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Music has become one of the ways I share what’s in my heart. Every song I write carries a piece of my journey. Some words come from painful memories, some from lessons learned, and others from the overwhelming gratitude I feel for being given another chance.
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My song, “Still Surviving in His Grace,” is about more than surviving prison. It is about surviving the storms of life through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ.
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There were times I stumbled, times I fell, and times I thought I couldn’t go another step. But God never stopped reaching for me.
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I thank God for David Nichols and Hand Up Ministries, for the people who believe in second chances, and for those who remind men like me that we are more than the worst mistakes we have ever made.
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I cannot change yesterday. But with God’s guidance, I can make something meaningful out of tomorrow.
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Today, I have a roof over my head, people who care about me, music in my heart, and a future I can look forward to.
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I am thankful for every sunrise, every opportunity to help someone else, and every moment I get to experience the freedom I once took for granted.
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If my music reaches even one person who feels hopeless, forgotten, or beyond forgiveness, I want that person to know something:
You are not forgotten. You are not beyond redemption. And your story is not over.
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I survived prison. I am learning to live in freedom. And through it all, I know one thing for certain:
I am still standing.
I am still believing.
I am still surviving in His grace.
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With gratitude to God and Hand Up Ministries for helping me discover that a second chance can become a beautiful new beginning.