‘I used drugs for 18 years. Like, seasons would pass, and I would still be there on the streets. Crime was a big part of my life. And so I was in and out of prison.
‘I came home after a long weekend of doing who knows what. And, the kids were gone. My wife was gone. Her ring was on the counter. It was a feeling... the feeling I felt in that moment was of such despair that I'm surprised it didn't kill me. I couldn't see no hope.
‘I moved to Seattle when I got out of prison to come to The Salvation Army. I sponsor up to three people at a time, and to see their growth reminds me of how much I've grown. It's an encouragement to both of us.
‘If you think about it like this, like there was a time I couldn't walk across the street without getting loaded. That's what I did with my life. I was a dope fiend. And so to get to that point where I could just walk past alcohol, I could walk past pot. I could walk past heroin, not blink an eye. That's pretty special to me.
‘If it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be here. There's no way that me, this bum could get sober and backpack the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada. No, that was God, man.’
