Brandon’s Success Story

One of the most difficult things I have done was walk up the stairs to the Rescue Mission’s front door for the second time. I felt as if God had pulled me there against my will, but I realize now He was bringing back. I was one of His sheep that had gone astray.

The first time I sought help from the Mission in 2019 I became sober and gained a good job working at the front desk of Marriott-branded hotel in Salt Lake. I had rekindled my relationship with God after struggling with alcohol abuse and had my own apartment.

But then the COVID pandemic happened. Our hotel was typically packed full of business and vacation travelers, but during the pandemic it came to the point where we would only have four or five reservations a night.

The hotel had to let almost all the staff go, including me. I struggled to stay in my apartment. I made a deal with my landlord that I would do the landscaping for our apartment building in exchange for rent. When I was younger, I went to art school in Seattle and developed a unique painting style. During the pandemic, I posted pieces on social media and people would buy them. One local client paid me $3,000 for a few pieces of my original art.  I didn’t make huge profits, but it was enough to pay my bills and live a frugal lifestyle.

One day my ex-girlfriend asked for help and a place to stay. She had a young child, who had never really had a father and I knew they were in need. I told them they could stay with me for a few days. That turned into weeks, and then months. My ex-girlfriend was using drugs at the time, and I started drinking again.

Soon my apartment manager said I needed to remove my ex-girlfriend and her child from the apartment. I tried, but she refused to leave, so he evicted me. With nowhere else to go, I began staying at low budget motels downtown.

I don’t know if it was the stress of the situation, or my years of alcohol abuse but I had two seizures. The paramedics came and I spent a day in the ER. During my time there I talked about my hopelessness and despair and was transferred to a mental health facility for eight days.

Eventually the staff at the facility told me they needed to release me, but I informed them I had no place to go. The workers left and came back a few hours later. They said they had found a place for me at the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake. My pride would not let me return to the Mission. I knew if I walked into the Mission everyone would see what a failure I was. I told them I wouldn’t go.

About 30 minutes later, a second group of staff came to my room. They told me that had arranged a place for me. They said they had a cab that would take me there at no cost to me. I asked where it was and they once again said, “The Rescue Mission of Salt Lake.” At that point I knew God wanted me to return to the Mission, whether I liked it or not. It was December 23, 2023, and pitch dark when the taxi dropped me off at the Mission.

The staff welcomed me back and I came to realize the Mission was the perfect place for me. I started working in the laundry and returned to daily prayer, bible studies, and life-skills meetings.

I developed a great church family at Gospel Grace, near Liberty Park. I help with Saturday Church in the Park. My mom, who lives with my dad in Montana, watches all my church’s sermons online and we talk about the messages.  I typically go to my church’s morning service, but one Sunday I went to the afternoon service. That day I had many text messages from my church family asking if I was OK. I felt blessed, because that is the kind of accountability and support I need.

Today I am an intern at the Rescue Mission and, if it is God’s will, I hope to help other hurting people off our streets. I am fulfilling some of that role in my internship by setting up our evening chapel stage based on the church’s specific needs.

I have a daughter who lives here in Salt Lake. Her mom let me bring her to Church in the Park a few Saturdays ago and it’s great to have a good relationship with her and her mom again. My seizures have stopped but I still take some medications to ensure they don’t return. I am thankful for the medication and have follow up visits scheduled.

I thank all of you who support the Rescue Mission. Most of all I thank God. He is truly like the shepherd of Matthew 18:10-14, who went after the one sheep who had gone astray. And even as I protested returning to the Mission, He brought me back. It seems crazy to say, but there is no other place I would rather live or be. I know most people would dislike living in a homeless shelter, but I know now this is the place God wants me to be to find joy and serve Him. I could not be more excited about His plan for me. Thank you again for your support that God has used to change my life!