Trenton’s Success Story

For the past 25 years, ever since I was about 14 years old, I have been living on the streets and in and out of jail.  But when I came to the Rescue Mission 15 months ago, my life changed.

It was just six months before I came to the Mission that a staff member named Kurtis saw me destitute and on the streets. He talked to me and over time we built a friendship.  Eventually Kurtis agreed to hold something for me, a necklace I was wearing. I told him I wanted someone to have something of mine when I died, because I felt like I was going to die soon.

I was homeless and using fentanyl, and I realized that many have died from the fentanyl epidemic here in Utah. I expected I would add to these numbers soon. But as I recalled my interactions with Kurtis and walked past the Mission, and even ate and stayed there as a homeless guest at times, I was drawn in. I saw the big Jesus Saves sign and thought maybe it was a place that could help me.

After all, almost two decades ago my stepdad received help at the Rescue Mission. He became sober and has spent more than 15 years off the streets, now living with my mother up in Clearfield, Utah.

I started the New Life Program and found that I could stay sober. I have never really had a job, but they assigned me a work therapy role as a maintenance worker. I learned a lot, like how to paint, how to fix drywall, and other handyman work.

I studied through the Genesis Process curriculum, which helped me find healing and forgiveness from some of my past broken family relationships. I started going to church at the Adventure Church in Draper, Utah, and I found that by engaging in the New Life Program, I could stay sober. I came to believe that God is real and that He is the opposite of evil.

When I moved to the employment phase of the New Life Program, I needed help because of my sparse employment history. The Mission was able to assist me in getting a job at a restaurant supply company. The business stocks produce, meat, and other supplies for restaurants. Each day different buyers shop for the items they need to supply their menus.

I am part of the team that helps fill orders and then restocks our shelves as fresh supplies come through our door. I appreciate the work and am thankful to the Mission for helping me secure real, honest employment. When I graduated from the New Life Program in November, two really cool things happened.

First, Kurtis, the Rescue Mission staff member who had held the necklace for me when I was living on the streets, was there at my graduation ceremony. During the ceremony he walked up to me and pulled out the necklace, which he had kept all that time. He gave it back to me and told me he was no longer worried that drugs were going to take my life. It was an amazing moment.

Second, I was able to move to the Freedom House, which is the Mission’s housing unit for people like me who need help transitioning from life at the Mission but are not ready to fully step out on their own yet. Freedom House provides accountability while also giving us the opportunity to manage our own schedules and responsibilities.

It has been nice living at Freedom House, since it is just a 10-minute bike ride from my work. I know we need snow and rain here in Utah, but I have felt blessed by the warm winter since it has allowed me to get back and forth from work without too much difficulty. I have been saving up money to move into an apartment in about three months or so. I also hope to get my driver’s license and potentially a vehicle before I leave as well.

Another cool thing that happened in December was that I was welcomed in my mother and stepfather’s home for Christmas. I had not spent a Christmas with my family for about 10 years. We had a nice ham dinner, and it felt good to have loving family time with my mom again. I know she has never stopped loving me, but I also know I have made it hard on her. It has been great to reconnect in meaningful ways.

I continue to attend recovery classes and stay close to my support team at the Rescue Mission. I never want to return to the streets, and I thank the Mission for all the support it gave me to not only get sober, but to gain employment and develop the skills I needed to reconnect with my family. I see others come to the Mission and receive this same kind of life-changing help, and on behalf of all of them and myself, I want to thank all the donors and supporters of the Mission. This place is truly changing lives and making a difference for people like me.