Drugs ruined Steve. Then God saved him.

Steve was trained as a Marine. He knew how to persevere. He did what it took to support his wife and kids through honest, physical labor. As a fit man, he could see no harm in a little marijuana and a cold beer after a long day.

But the occasional beer turned into a daily addiction and the marijuana turned into crack. His fall led him to leave his family, his work and everything he knew to focus on his addictions. One of his brothers joined him on this downhill path. They got a house together and down they went.

As drug use continued, their money soon ran out. The property taxes went unpaid, and their house was taken away. After living on the streets for three days, they were desperate to get their lives straight. That’s when they made their way to Memphis Union Mission.

Steve put his path into changing his ways and the Lord blessed him. “I found Jesus here,” he says. “My life changed then.”

Steve had given his heart to Jesus and went on to complete his training in godliness at the Mission. He was ready to follow Jesus and help others. Being disabled, there were limits to where he could go. But God provided a perfect place for him as a volunteer here at the mission intake desk. He helps men who come in, most on their lowest of days. “I love volunteering because I can help these guys,” Steve says. “I know what they are going through. God said to make disciples of all nations, and this is my way of doing that.”

Steve has served as a volunteer at the front desk for ten years now, with no plans to leave. “I’ll be here as long as the Lord allows me to be,” he says with a laugh.

Now reunited with his family, Steve is passionate about telling people about the good things happening here. His brother, now passed, also accepted the Lord and Steve knows he will see him in Heaven again.

Steve is thankful for his new life and is very grateful for your support. “Memphis Union Mission was the catalyst that changed my life. I would be dead without the help and healing I received here. Thank you for caring. People really do change here!”