Larry’s Success Story

At 53 years old, I can say something I never thought I would be able to say: I am sober, I am working, I have a stable place to live, and God has given me a new life. For decades, I lived in a cycle of addiction, homelessness, jail, and self‑destruction. Today, I live with hope. The only reason I am here is because God saved me through the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake.

I grew up in Missouri with a childhood that wasn’t perfect, but wasn’t terrible either. I went to church, but I never really believed in the God of the Bible or His Son, Jesus Christ. I loved bowling (enough to obtain my PBA card) and I spent most of my working life as a truck driver. But even with those good things, something inside me always felt broken.

In 2000, my best friend died in a DUI‑related car accident. He wasn’t even the one driving, just a passenger. I didn’t know how to deal with the pain, so I turned to drugs and alcohol. I told myself it was just to numb the hurt, but it quickly became a lifestyle that took over everything.

My life spiraled until I ended up in jail. While I was there, volunteers came in to share the Gospel. I had heard about Jesus growing up, but this time something was different. I listened. I felt something stir in me. In that jail cell, I believed in Jesus for the first time. But when I got out, I didn’t know how to follow Him. I went right back to my old ways.

Eventually, I left Missouri altogether, leaving behind my parents, my younger brother, and my son, who was just a little boy. I ran from everything. I bounced from Dallas to Phoenix to Las Vegas, and finally ended up in Salt Lake City in 2008. That’s where I stayed, living on the streets, homeless and hopeless.

I was consistently in and out of jail. Looking back, one of the things that bothers me most is how much I seemed to like failing. I sabotaged myself repeatedly. I kept myself homeless. I kept myself broken. I would ask myself, “Why is failure so attractive to me?” I didn’t have an answer, so I asked God for help. And He answered. God made me tired: tired of jail, tired of the streets, tired of destroying my own life.

During the most recent time I faced jail, something changed. I told the judge, “Jail is never going to help me.” I knew it was true. The only way my life was ever going to work was if God helped me. I had been on the streets long enough to know that out of all the recovery places in Utah, the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake was the only one that had Jesus at the center. So I asked the judge to sentence me to probation, on the condition that I completed the Mission’s New Life Program.

On January 8, 2025, the judge agreed. He gave me three years of probation and released me to the Rescue Mission. I have been sober and off the streets ever since.

People ask me how I have been able to change, and I tell them the truth: With God’s help. That’s the only way this worked. The Lord had to be involved in everything I was doing. When I forget that, when I start thinking I can do it on my own, that’s when things get squirrely.

At the Mission, I assisted in the kitchen for work therapy. I loved serving the homeless guests who came in for meals. It reminded me where I came from and showed me that a life with God is about service (serving God and serving people). That became meaningful to me in a way I had never experienced before.

I also learned that anger and fighting don’t solve anything. I used to think fighting made me strong. Now I know better. I tell people, “If someone punches you in the mouth and you fight back, even if you win, you lose, because of the emotional and physical toll it takes on you.” God has taught me a different way.

Today, I have a good job with a concrete company. I go to church at The Conversation in Midvale, and enjoy the fellowship there. I recently moved into Freedom House, the Mission’s transitional housing unit. It gives me accountability and support as I take steps toward independence. I hope to move into my own place soon and maybe buy a truck again.

In a few weeks, I will be off probation after only 15 months. My probation officer told me I’ve been doing so well that I don’t need the full three years. That is nothing but God’s grace.

I pray that one day I can have a relationship with my son. I know I wasn’t there for him, so I’m not trying to force anything. I leave it in God’s hands and in my son’s hands. I trust that if God wants that relationship restored, He will make a way.

One of the biggest blessings God has given me is my younger brother. When I left Missouri, he stayed. He took care of our dad until he passed away in 2022. He lives two blocks from our mom and takes care of her too. He even looks after my son and gives him fatherly advice. I call my brother several times a day. God blessed our relationship, and I’m grateful for every conversation. I’m also thankful for my niece, who has become a big part of my life.

Today, I see how God rescued me through the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake, through the staff who cared for me, and through the donors who make the Mission’s ministry possible. I don’t know where I would be without this support. God gets all the glory. Every success I’ve had—sobriety, work, housing, restored relationships—has come from His enabling help.

As I look ahead, I desire to live at a slower pace. Maybe join a bowling league again or even form a team. But whatever I do, I want to keep serving God and walking in the new life He has given me.