Kyle’s Success Story

Editor’s Note: Oftentimes, we receive requests for life story updates from people previously featured in the Rescuer. It was three years ago (February 2022) that Kyle Carson first shared his life story in the Rescuer. He later joined with his three roommates in an updated life story about how they were thriving together in a townhouse in West Valley City (September 2023). This month we share an update from Kyle who continues to enjoy long-term success after battling alcohol addiction and receiving help at the Rescue Mission.

It’s amazing how far God has brought me since I left Montana after spending five years drinking every day. In God’s providence, I could only afford a bus ticket to Salt Lake, so I ended up in Utah and found my way to the Rescue Mission in 2021.

Through the New Life Program I was able to get sober, begin a real relationship with Jesus, and start employment at a place that helps people who are struggling with their mental health. God has blessed me in some amazing ways since I graduated from the New Life Program three years ago. First, I spent a year with some fellow graduates in a brand-new townhome God provided where we could live and share expenses together. During that time, I met an awesome woman, we dated for over a year, before I proposed to her—even asking her parents for permission.

I was blessed that she said “yes” and we were married in July 2024. It was God’s timing because this was the same time our lease was up at the West Valley City townhome I shared with my roommates. I felt remorse for leaving them, but they were happy for me and grateful that I fulfilled my commitment to the lease.

While I missed living with my friends, I was overjoyed to begin life with my bride. We have a crazy but fun dog—a terrier mix—and have talked about having kids or adopting but are waiting for God’s firm direction.

As I have been blessed by all the fun and excitement of being a newlywed, God has also given me favor at my job. I have been promoted to a manager at a well-recognized mental health provider in the Salt Lake area. Our unit focuses on those who are struggling with mental health and may not have family or other support to find healthcare access.

Many of our clients are like those who come to the Rescue Mission. They need mental healthcare, but since they don’t know how to find it, they become lost in homelessness or addiction. My job is engaging and challenging. Of course, I need to ensure all our services are fully staffed, but I also need to ensure our staff has the tools they need to support our clients. I coordinate with the Health Department and other agencies. It is a blessing to be one of the solutions we need to meet the mental health and chemical dependency issues facing our community.

At the end of the day, I know that our clients are living in a safe environment and have the resources they need to recover and get better. Our clients are in a similar place to where I once was. I know what it feels like to struggle and not see an end in sight. Our goal is to help people understand what has been holding them back, get the problem solved, relieve their symptoms, and live a functional life.

The last eight months have been truly blessed. As I have worked hard, my marriage has thrived. When my wife and I were married, I moved into her condo, and we have been enjoying life together. She is a true artist and does great work in photography. Meanwhile, she is going to school for criminal justice, emergency services, and social work.

Please pray for us as we develop a new life together. Pray that God would lead and guide us and keep us together in love through thick and thin. Most of all pray that Jesus would be the center of our relationship. Thank you for supporting the Rescue Mission, where God gave me this new life. Your support is now helping me to give back.