DURHAM, N.C. — Lynn Holloway, a Durham Rescue Mission chaplain, spent the day Friday searching for people on the streets in need of a warm bed and shelter as temperatures fell.

When Holloway came across Bill, a homeless man, it wasn’t the first time. Holloway says Bill was battling an alcohol addiction and living in a tent down the road.

On Friday, Bill said he’s still trying to make ends meet, which means being out in the frigid cold.

Holloway, who’s worked for the Durham Rescue Mission for 18 years, says he empathizes with Bill’s situation.

Holloway is 28 years sober himself.

“I got introduced to crack cocaine and then you try it again... and the next thing you know, before you know it, you’re hooked," Holloway said.

Holloway spent years on the streets, many times cold and alone. A brush with death, he says, changed everything.

“The car hit me and I went into the air and I came down and hit my shoulder. I thought the person had just left me but they came back and told me they called the paramedics. And they picked me up off the ground and I laid in the back on an ambulance and cried like a baby," he said.

Holloway made a promise that night with God.

“That if he was going to get me out of this addiction, I’d serve him till the day I die," Holloway said.

It’s what motivated Holloway to brave the cold Friday, encouraging folks to come to the shelter and stay warm. However, not everyone is willing.

With the artic blast afoot, he says it’s a potentially life-saving invitation, although for Holloway it’s also a chance to make a difference.

“[I'm] good, thankful, glad… all of that mixed in together," he said.

Aside from offering people a place to stay warm, the Durham Rescue Mission is also giving out cups of hot cocoa, pastries and care packages with necessities like warm clothes and gloves.