Once a lost soul, Adam Mickleburgh embarked on a journey of recovery and transformed his life.

Pic: Adam and Miriam at their wedding

Sharing an inspiring story is powerful because it taps into something deeply human – our connection to emotion, meaning and hope. Uplifting stories can show what's possible even when things seem impossible.  To help you get into a feel-good mood for Christmas, over the next few months, we will bring you inspiring and life-changing stories that will bring a smile to your face.

Inspiring stories often feature someone overcoming adversity, achieving something remarkable, or growing through a challenge. They can encourage others to persist, adapt, or dream bigger. Our first story below is about Adam Mickleburgh. Now a qualified law expert, Adam once believed his brain was damaged due to drug abuse. His journey of self-discovery led to his complete restoration, and he now lives a life of purpose.

Adam’s life was entirely off course. However, sometimes, you must hit rock bottom — emotionally, financially, mentally, and spiritually — before you can improve your life. It is only at the bottom that one realises how far away they are and that different life choices are needed. This is precisely what happened to Adam. He had to face his dysfunctional behaviours before he could welcome positive change into his life.

Adam is from KwaZulu-Natal. Due to his addiction to hard drugs, he spent two years in prison in a foreign country before being deported back to South Africa. Ultimately, he ended up living on the streets of Durban. His addiction caused his parents immense distress to the point where they could no longer cope with his presence in their lives. Adam reached a point where he contemplated suicide, feeling as though there was nothing left for him in life.

And humanly speaking, he had no way to escape from the pit he had dug for himself. His life was one of sin and rebellion against God, and he had chosen to live that life! After seeking help at many rehabilitation institutions, things had only ever gotten worse. Then he heard about the CYPSA (Concerned Young People of SA) programme at the KwaSizabantu Mission and went into an internet café to look up directions.

Adam arrived at the Mission in June 2012, two days before a youth conference hosted there. At the conference, he heard the late Rev Erlo Stegen preach on Romans 7:24-25, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

“I had never heard such preaching before, although I had spent time in many churches. When I heard that sermon, I knew in my heart that it was the truth being preached. My life was never the same again from that day onwards,” Adam told me.

Adam followed the CYPSA restoration program, began attending services, and started meeting with a mentor. As he began to confess his sins, he felt a lifetime of sin, guilt, and shame lifting off his shoulders. He experienced liberation from the grip of drug addiction and the negative influences in his life. God entered his heart and began a transformative process within him. After his mentors helped him make amends with his parents and others he had wronged in the past, he was allowed to work in the dining hall, assisting with cleaning and serving meals.

In his heart, Adam said, ‘Lord, if this is all I ever have, it will be enough if I can just seek You in this place.’ But the Lord had other plans for Adam’s life. Today, more than a decade after he first entered the gates of KwaSizabantu, he has completed an LLB degree and his articles to be admitted as a practising attorney. He works in the aQuellé water bottling plant based on the Mission grounds.  He also actively participates in the CYPSA restoration program and shares his story with others. This helps those who are addicted to drugs and gives them hope.

His father also met the Lord and now lives at the Mission, partly because of the change that took place in Adam’s life. Adam met his soulmate at KwaSizabantu, where both are dedicated to Christ and His work, and the couple serves the Lord together. They were blessed with a beautiful baby girl.

“For more than a decade now, I have experienced the unceasing kindness, love, selflessness and patience of the co-workers, mentors, and seniors at the Mission. These people have surrendered their lives completely to help people like me and rescue them from the gates of hell,’ Adam concluded.

It's never too late to change your life, and nothing should prevent you from living better. I want to share another inspiring recovery story that will uplift you and bring a smile to your face. The people who share their stories with me do so with humility and honesty, and their experiences deeply resonate with readers. They admit their mistakes, but most importantly, they have learned from them and now use their experiences to help others.

(Watch the interview with Adam on the YouTube channel by following the link: https://youtu.be/m2c2GDN1_qE)