- I remember him coming in,

he'd been out on the streets for days,

and literally the bottoms of his feet

were just like hamburger meat

'cause he had just beenwalking, and walking,

and searching to do drugs.

- [Narrator] NewlywedJudy Smith already knew

about her husband Sidney'soccasional battles with drugs,

but this, this was the signof a full-blown addiction.

- He just turned aroundand looked at me again

with tears in his eyes and just said,

"I'm not gonna make it, Emma."

- I knew in my mind that Icouldn't quit 'cause I had tried.

- [Narrator] They met ata job interview in 1994

in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Sidney, coming from Oakland, California,

was hoping for a new start.

Judy was the Hiring Manager.

- Had a real leadership ability about him

'cause he would take charge of something

once he was given a task to do.

- [Narrator] So Judynot only hired Sidney,

she fell for him, but shedidn't know the whole story.

He grew up in a poorneighborhood in Oakland,

but unlike many, henever had to do without,

his mom worked hard to make sure of that.

But what Sidney really neededwas her love and attention,

he got neither.

At 12 years old hedowned a bottle of pills,

desperate for any sign she cared.

- I just felt like I wanted her attention,

and I couldn't get it,and I was willing to go

to whatever extremes that Icould to get her attention.

The next thing I knew I washaving my stomach pumped.

I remember going to aninstitution and being left there.

It broke my heart.

- [Narrator] It was only a matter of time

before he discovered drugs

and would spend the next several years

buying and selling them,

and stealing to satisfy his habit.

- Chasing that feeling outweighed

everything else in importance,

and it provided an escape.

I didn't have to deal with anything.

- [Narrator] Numerousattempts at rehab failed.

By the time he left for Mississippi at 23

he was an addict running from police

and desperately hoping for a new start.

- I didn't wanna be a drugaddict and I knew that I was.

- [Narrator] When hehad met Judy he was able

to hide the dept of his addiction,

but now, after a few months of marriage,

the truth had come out.

- I knew that it would be her that left

before I would change.

- [Narrator] But Judy,a Christian, saw Sidney

through God's eyes wherethere was potential and hope.

- And so the hope gave mesome direction to some faith

that God was drawing meinto this for a reason.

- [Narrator] Keeping hopealive was another matter.

Arrested in 1996 on outstanding warrants,

Sidney would spend 13 years behind bars.

Despite finding religion in prison,

he relapsed soon after his release.

- I just didn't have whatI needed inside of me.

Nothing satisfied the hole,it was like a bottomless pit.

- [Narrator] Disappearingat times for weeks,

Sidney would bounce betweenbouts of sobriety and addiction.

- And there were points in time for me

when I was desperately sad,afraid, angry, resentful.

I went through all of those things,

but it would always come backfull circle to have the hope.

- [Narrator] Then in 2010,his parole officer recommended

he go to the faith-basedrehab program, Teen Challenge.

There, Sidney had toface the hurt and anger.

- I just angrily screamed out at God.

If You're who You say You are,

here's an earnest, from thebottom of my heart opportunity

for You to show up andfix me, 'cause I'm done.

I felt like I had wallsthat I had built up

to protect me from otherpeople all my life.

I felt like He just reached out

and they just turned to dust.

- [Narrator] Sidney says at that moment

he gave his life to Christrealizing that, through Judy,

God had been showing Hislove for him all along.

- Because it didn't matterwho I was or what I had done,

I was still loved and accepted

even in the worst position in my life,

and she still wanted me.

And I feel the samething when God saved me,

that's the exact same feelingthat just overwhelmed me.

No matter what I did,no matter who I'd hurt,

or how many times I'd failed,He didn't care, He loved me.

- The part of him that I had always loved,

the joyful, kind,compassionate, loving person,

and he was so willingto do whatever it took,

and again, I guess that's just the God,

the hope, the faith inme that just believed.

- [Narrator] In 2013, at 43 years old,

Sidney graduated from TeenChallenge and is still drug-free.

He went on to earn a master'sdegree in social work,

and today works as aSubstance Abuse Counselor

in Mississippi.

- Well, it had to be God,there's no other way,

I couldn't have done it on my own,

of my own free will or my own volition,

I wouldn't have been strong enough.

- I got God's attention andit satisfies everything.