Todd’s Success Story

Todd sumpter: God transforms a life at the Ogden Rescue Mission

Editor’s Note: Ogden Rescue Mission is a voluntary member of an association of approximately 300 independent rescue missions across North America that actively collaborate. While the vast majority of people we serve are from the Ogden area and Northern Utah, every so often we will send a person to a mission in another state for a geographic and relationship change. Conversely at times a partner mission will refer a person to us, as which happened with Todd. When the person develops the tools they need to thrive and succeed, we encourage them to return to their home community and continue to rebuild their lives.

This is the story of how God saved my life at the Ogden Rescue Mission—in a state I had never been to before and thought I would never see. Besides for a brief time in Connecticut, I have lived all my life in Florida. I had never seen beautiful mountains or encountered people who were as friendly, forgiving, and understanding as those I encountered when I arrived at the Ogden Rescue Mission six months ago.

HOPELESSNESS AND SADNESS

As a boy growing up in Florida, I saw my mother struggle with substance abuse and in a lot of ways I didn’t grow up with parents who could take care of me. It’s probably not surprising that I turned to drugs and alcohol at an early age, and even sold drugs to make money. As I grew into a man, I was often homeless, living on the streets selling and using drugs. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit two years ago, I was homeless, living on the streets, and my life seemed to be growing worse and worse.

The streets in Gainesville were becoming more and more vicious. Several of my friends died on the streets.  Then, when Covid-19 hit many of my homeless friends got sick and died from the pandemic. . I grew sad and depressed seeing so many people that I knew pass away. I turned to drugs all the more to ease my pain, but it didn’t seem to help.

ASKING FOR HELP

One day seemingly at the bottom of a dark pit, I prayed to God and asked Him to help me find a way out. I told God was sorry for not following Him, for the wrong way I had lived my life. I asked for His help to change my life.

A few days later, I felt something leading me to a homeless shelter in Gainesville. I walked there, entered through the door, and asked for help.

The man I spoke to asked me, “Do you really want to change?” I told him I did. He said, “OK, I know a place in Utah that has a great recovery program. They will help you there.”

I was floored. I had barely ever left the state of Florida. Utah could’ve been an entirely different country as far as I was concerned. I was dumfounded but soon realized the man was serious.

A FOUR-DAY BUS RIDE

He told me I should leave that afternoon. To go pack a bag and he would take me to the bus station where I would have a four-day ride to Ogden. He said he would give a $50 food voucher for the ride. I tried to tell myself there was no way I was riding in a bus for four days with only a $50 food voucher in my pocket, but something wouldn’t let me say no.

To my surprise, a couple hours later I was boarding a bus. As I rode in that bus, I realized that man was right. I knew every place in Gainesville where I could get drugs. I knew every place in Gainesville where I could get into trouble. I needed a completely different scene if I was going to climb out of my deep hole. And four days after I boarded that bus, I walked into the Ogden Rescue Mission.

NEW LIFE PROGRAM AT OGDEN RESCUE MISSION

Looking back, I can see it was God who led me here. The people I first met at the Mission were quality guys, totally different from the people I knew in Florida. They didn’t judge me and I felt like I could tell them everything. I joined the New Life Recovery Program, which is a comprehensive program the Ogden Rescue Mission runs that helps people get off the streets and into faith, sobriety, employment, and housing. As I went to counseling classes and Bible studies, I broke down and cried as I told of the hurts and pains of my life. The people here just listened and comforted me.

But the big thing was that God stepped into my life here at the Ogden Rescue Mission. I realized the life change I needed wasn’t as much about substance abuse recovery as it was about recovering my relationship with God. Now, my focus is about me and God.

The structure that the Mission’s New Life Program brought to my life has been instrumental in my change. There’s a natural rhythm to my life now. I go to regular bible studies and counseling sessions. I go to church at Second Baptist each week. And then I have a regular work therapy assignment (my responsibility is working security here at the Mission) that is helping me get back into the pace of having a real day-to-day job.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Soon I will graduate to the employment phase of the New Life Program. I look forward to the great job opportunities that are available right now. It will be good to be back in honest work. My plan is to save money so I can return to Gainesville and get married to my fiancé, who has been so supportive of me through my recovery. We talk often and when I return, we plan to get married and have an apartment or home together. I have told her that I want to enter marriage as a blessing to her, not a curse. The Mission has allowed me to do that.

I tell people that it is impossible that God was not behind me coming to the Ogden Rescue Mission. There are so many things that had to fit together perfectly for me to get here. All those things fitting together was an answer to the sincere prayer I prayed while lost on the streets of Gainesville.

I cannot thank the staff, the counselors, and the supporters of the Mission enough. I have loved meeting a new kind of people and seeing a new kind of country with mountains and beautiful valleys. This is the place where God wanted to use His people to change me. Still, I do long for home and when I have completed the program here I look forward to heading back as a new man with the tools I need to stay in faith, sobriety, employment, and housing.

If you are able, I urge you to support the Ogden Rescue Mission. They are here for people like me who had no hope and nowhere else to turn, but found help, hope, and God’s love here in Ogden.