He Survived 15 Overdoses and Chose the Streets Over His Family. Then God Gave It All Back to George.
Updated: Aug 7
George Vay is a graduate of the Rise Discipleship men's home. Before he got there, he was homeless, not because he had to be, but by choice. He had a nice house and a beautiful wife, and he chose the streets anyway, chained to heroin, methamphetamine, and alcohol, weighed down by depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
The heroin was the thing he could not shake. His wife finally gave him an ultimatum, and George chose wrong. She divorced him, and he stayed in the streets another year.
"I didn't think I could change. I tried all these rehabs, NA, AA, and I'd just keep using."
The Fear That Was Real
George wasn't exaggerating when he said he was afraid he would die. He had already overdosed 15 times.
"I was afraid that if I didn't change, I was going to overdose one day. I'd already overdosed 15 times."
What finally moved him was a fundraiser. On November 7, 2021, a team from Rise, including a brother named Dale Patterson, was in El Paso. George didn't know what the program was or where the van was even going. Something inside just told him to get in.
"I was scared, and yes, I was really high. But I really wanted to change. That's when God met me, right where I was."
The Week the Dust Settled
His breaking point came during his second week in the home, once the drugs cleared and reality set in. George finally grasped everything his addiction had cost him, his wife, his kids, all of it.
"I cried like a baby. I said, God, if you want me to stay here, I need your help. I'm giving my wife to you, and all my problems to you."
The withdrawals were hard, and at first he felt alone. But after about a month, the love of the brothers and leaders melted that away, and George started serving, cooking meals in the kitchen, helping on fundraisers, giving back. At first he didn't believe the home could help him. Then he watched brother after brother graduate and change, and he began to believe God could do the same for him.
What the Locust Had Stolen
And God did. George says it best himself: God gave him back what the locust had stolen.
His wife, who had divorced him, is his wife again, they are remarried, with a five-year-old daughter. The children who told him they would never speak to him again, Kimberly and Antonio, are back in his life.
"Certain people are back in my life that I didn't think was going to be possible. That's all the glory to God."
The discipleship gave him something he'd never had: a purpose. He learned he didn't have to be a heroin addict, that God wanted him to live a better life and lift others, whether by teaching the Word, feeding someone a meal, or fundraising to bring another man into the same help that saved him. His anchor verse became Philippians 1:6, the confidence that God, who began a good work, will carry it on to completion.
A New Life in El Paso
Today George lives in El Paso. He prayed for a job and landed one within ten days, at a Chili's, which is where the story turns almost unbelievable.
"The crazy thing is, I got fired from that same Chili's when I was living in my addiction. When I shared my testimony with the manager, he hired me on the spot. That's God's favor."
He's now one of the kitchen leads there, and a student at El Paso Community College studying restaurant management, with seven classes left before he graduates. He and his wife get up early to read the Word and pray with their daughter, who, at five years old, is already learning to pray herself.
If This Is You
George survived 15 overdoses and walked away from the family he loved, and God still restored all of it. If you feel that far gone, or if you're the wife, the child, or the parent still praying for someone who chose the streets, don't wait. It's free, a real person answers day or night, and it starts with one call.
Ready to reach out? Get help now. Freedom really is just one phone call away. (325) 232-5449.
And it's all free because of people like you. As George says, whether you give a little or a lot, your giving is what keeps the doors open so a man can have a season of discipleship and go home a role model to his wife and kids.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or thoughts of suicide, you are not alone and help is available. Rise Discipleship's 24/7 helpline is (325) 232-5449.
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