Brady’s Success Story

 Brady: Sober, Employed, and an Engaged Father Again

As a successful salesperson with a wife, daughter, and home, I never thought I would end up homeless, living on the streets of Ogden.

The good news is that when I became homeless, God led me to the Ogden Rescue Mission where I found a true relationship with Him and a new life of sobriety and employment.

While I did some partying in my late teens and early 20s, I settled down. I was married and had a daughter I worked successfully in the car sales industry. It seemed like a good life.

But in 2018 my wife and I were divorced and I turned to alcohol to cope with the pain. Over the next five years, I struggled with sobriety. This struggle impacted my entire life but especially my ability to work. I would get a job, then lose it.

My drinking grew so bad I was arrested several times for alcohol-related offenses. By 2023 I was still working off and on but couldn’t gain real stability. My sister would sometimes let me stay with her, or I would have enough money for a cheap motel room.

Eventually, I lost my last job and my sister’s patience had run out. With nowhere to go I began living in a Ogden homeless shelter. At the shelter I started drinking more and was even introduced to meth, something I had never done before.

It was the hot delicious food that introduced me to the Ogden Rescue Mission.  Living on the streets, I quickly learned the Rescue Mission had the best meals, so I would walk down from my homeless shelter to the Rescue Mission.

One day I was talking with another man who was also eating dinner there. I lamented how I needed a rehab program but had no money or insurance that would pay for one. The man looked and me and asked if I knew that the Ogden Rescue Mission ran a free, faith-based rehab program right out of this building.

I was shocked and that night I talked with Jimmy, the house manager. He told me I would need to come in sober. It was a Friday, and he shared that if came back sober on Monday, I could join the program. It was a struggle, but I stayed sober all weekend and on Monday began the New Life Program at the Mission.

That was back in April and I am happy to say God has changed my life. The program staff helped me talk about unresolved issues that I had never dealt with. I felt betrayal and unforgiveness in my heart. But when I talked about those issues and learned about how God’s forgiveness can free me to forgive others, I found a level of peace I had not experienced before.

I began to not just read the Bible but understand it and build a true relationship with God through His Son Jesus. I could apply the Bible to every facet of my life and leave things I couldn’t control up to God.

My relationship with God and continued sobriety, have helped my relationships get better. I have great communication with my ex-wife. She lets me see my daughter often. In the summer we went swimming almost every weekend and I am looking forward to spending time with her this Christmas.

My connection with my mother has never been better and I talk with her almost daily about the Bible. I caused her many endless nights of grief and worry, so I love bonding with her on a new level. Even my stepdad has started going to church.

I have friends on social media who are still struggling with addiction and when they reach out, I message them about the Mission’s program. I share how it changed my life. I tell them how I am working at a good job now and saving up money for a car and an apartment when it is time for me to graduate from the New Life Program.

Thank you for supporting the Ogden Rescue Mission. I had no hope of getting into an expensive recovery program. Your kindness has helped create a free program where people who are homeless and hopeless can turn for the help they need. God has used your support to take me off the streets, enjoy sustained sobriety, and gain employment.