Steven’s Success Story

I grew up on a little 13-acre farm in West Valley City. My parents lived on the farm and my grandparents lived next door. I had a good childhood and loved working on the farm. You might say I was the golden child, really. My parents were happily married, and I had a strong work ethic from the start. My dad was a general contractor, and I worked with him for years. We ran jobs together, fixed our family rental units, did plumbing, painting, and repairs. We did all of it as a team and life was good.

With my dad’s help, I purchased land next to the family farm and we continued to work together. But in my mid-30s, things started to unravel. I was in a long-term relationship that started falling apart. I started dabbling in drugs for fun and stress relief, yet I grew increasingly dependent on drugs. Even though I was blessed, had a good family, and a nice job, my drug use took everything. I was about to lose my house and property in 2012 but signed it over to my dad because he had helped me buy it.

I stopped performing at work and lost my job. My family lost trust in me since I put them through a great deal of pain. Eventually, I became disconnected from my brothers and sisters. For nearly 15 years, I was estranged from most of my family, except my mother

During that time, I was living in my van and unemployed, which still blows my mind. I’ve always been a hard worker, and it makes me sick to think I went so many years without a job. Living out of my van, I picked through dumpsters in the industrial parts of Salt Lake to find scrap metal to salvage. I was frugal, trying to survive. At my lowest point, I weighed 105 pounds (and I’m 5 foot 9). I experienced chronic abdominal pain, and I medicated with heroin, thinking it would help. But God told me it was my poor choices that was causing the pain. I just didn’t want to hear it.

Last year, I was arrested while salvaging from a dumpster. It was the day before Mother’s Day, 2024. I had picked up some salvageable metal and someone called the cops, who showed up and booked me. For the first time, I didn’t cry when I went to jail. I was almost relieved. I surrendered everything, including my life and my future, to the jail, the judge, and God.

The judge wanted to throw the book at me since I had a long record of misdemeanors, including trespassing on my own family farm. That charge really hurt. I had a deep attachment to that place, and it was painful knowing I was no longer welcome at my childhood home or on the land I once partially owned. But the judge gave me a last chance. She let me enter the Rescue Mission’s New Life Program, which changed everything for me.

The Mission gave me my life back. The structure, friendships, counseling, and faith all worked together. I reconnected with God and can truly say Jesus is my best friend and my Savior. During my days of using, I lost prayer from my life. I stopped talking to God. But now, I pray again. I worship again. I feel alive again.

I’ve also reconnected with my family. I can’t believe how quickly they welcomed me back. I thought that trust was gone forever, but God restored it. My probation officer has been impressed with my progress. I graduate from the Mission’s program in November, and I’ll be able to submit my graduation certificate to the judge. I may even get off probation early.

The Mission offered me a full-time job at the Ogden Rescue Mission as a maintenance technician after I graduate. I’ll live onsite and do what I’ve always done — repairs, plumbing, painting, whatever needs fixing. It’s a perfect fit for my skills and I feel proud of the work I will be doing. It’s funny because my mom told me she never wanted me to leave the Mission because I was doing so well. Maybe that was a sign from God, because now I get to be a part of the Mission.

Even though I’ll be living in Ogden, I still plan to drive down to Salt Lake every week to attend Calvary Chapel in Murray. That’s my home church. I take a group of guys from the New Life Program with me in my van for Bible study and recovery meetings every Thursday. It’s one of the highlights of my week.

I’m back up to 140 pounds now. I look healthy again. I feel healthy. I’ve been incomprehensibly blessed. God has opened doors I never thought possible. I’m living proof that it’s never too late to turn your life around. The Mission gave me a new life, and I’m not letting go. Thank you for your faithful support of the Rescue Mission. God has used your generosity to transform my life, and I see that same impact in the lives of so many others.