Before I came to Evans Training Center, my life was collapsing under the weight of my own choices. I was raised in a loving, Christian home with parents who taught me right from wrong, but from a young age I chased popularity and acceptance more than anything else. What started as small compromises grew into a full-blown addiction that followed me through multiple colleges, failed opportunities, and even what I thought was my dream job. By the time I was in my mid-20s, I had burned bridges with schools, employers, and eventually even my own family. I went through programs before, but I never submitted my heart to the Lord. I wanted relief from consequences, not real change. Every time, I walked right back into addiction. By the time I got to Evans, I had nowhere left to go—no friends, no trust, no options. I was completely at the end of myself.

Coming into Evans was humbling in ways I didn’t expect. The staff and the men around me were honest in a way I had never allowed anyone to be in my life. The boundaries, the accountability, and the call to truly submit my heart to God forced me to see the rebellion I had carried for years. For the first time, I actually wanted to live a godly life—not because someone told me to, not because I feared consequences, but because the Lord was drawing me. Evans didn’t just help me get sober; it taught me what it means to pursue Christ, to surrender, and to walk in the kind of maturity I had avoided my whole life. Somewhere in that process—between the confrontation, the brokenness, and finally crying out to the Lord—I experienced real transformation. God used Evans Training Center to do the heart work no other place had ever been able to reach.

Today, my life looks completely different. I graduated the program, stayed on for Stage 2, and eventually stepped into staff leadership. I now serve as the Director of Operations, helping lead the landscaping, painting, and service crews that give our men purpose, confidence, and a chance to see what God can do through their hands. Even more, God restored what I thought was permanently lost. I met my wife, Bailey, after graduating, and now we have two incredible boys. Evans even helped us find housing during the early years of our marriage when my record made it almost impossible. God has taken a life that was shattered and built something strong, joyful, and full of purpose—far beyond anything I could have imagined. Evans Training Center gave me a place to rebuild, but it was the Lord who changed my heart, and that has made all the difference.