Glenn grew up in West Vancouver with his parents and younger brother. It was a happy childhood and he and his brother enjoyed a close relationship, playing sports and doing outdoor activities together. Unfortunately they also both took the dangerous path of drug use.

“Around the age of 15, I started to drink with my friends, and as the years went on I was drinking more and more. In my early twenties I started experimenting with other drugs like marijuana and cocaine.” As Glenn explains, his younger brother was also progressing in his drug use, with heartbreaking consequences. “Around this time, my brother discovered his drug of choice: heroin. He died at the age of 25 from a heroin overdose. I was devastated but it still wasn’t enough to make me quit my drug use.”

Glenn continued to use drugs after his brother’s tragic death and was soon in the clutches of a powerful addiction to cocaine. He used for many years and eventually his addiction strained relationships in every aspect of his life. “I was alienating myself from everyone who cared about me.”

After nearly two decades of drug use, two failed marriages, and many job losses, Glenn realized his life has become unmanageable. “I always wanted things to happen on my timeline and on my terms. But I knew something had to change; the plans I had for my life were not working out.”

In 1998, Glenn reached out for help at Union Gospel Mission. He completed the program, but admits he hadn’t fully committed to the changes he needed to make to stay clean, and eventually started slipping back into his old habits.

He began drinking socially again and sometime later, he convinced himself he might be able to use his drug of choice, cocaine, “casually”. Once cocaine was back in the picture, Glenn quickly began to spiral back into his addiction.

It was clear to those who loved him that he was once more struggling, so a dear family friend spoke to him about seeking help for his addiction issues once more. Glenn, too, knew he was needing to pursue recovery again, no matter how difficult it seemed. “I was 54 and realized I’d better get it [the principals of recovery] this time.”

Returning to UGM, Glenn applied himself diligently to the work of recovery, was more open to change, and happily graduated in October 2009. Having learned the importance of making use of the aftercare support offered to Alumni of the recovery program, he’s stayed connected and is now the vice president of UGM’s Alumni Association.

The sense of community and acceptance he found at the mission is something Glenn continues to value as an important aspect of his recovery.

“The people have been a real blessing. The way the staff, the counsellors, and they guys in recovery all eat together and share conversations… there’s no division, and that means so much to someone who is lonely or lost. I learned to be comfortable in my own skin here, and that’s only through the grace of God.”

At the age of 11, Carl started using drugs and alcohol to cope with severe childhood abuse and trauma. Later, his drug use escalated when he got a job with a travelling carnival based out of Winnipeg. Working nearly 20 hours a day, getting 3 hours of sleep a night, Carl relied on drugs just to stay awake for his shifts. “After a few years on the job”, he shares, “the hours were getting to me so I increased the drug use, snorting more coke, smoking more crack – all day, every day. It was a blur for 5 years. I lost control of everything.”

In 2000, a friend asked Carl to help him move from Winnipeg to Vancouver. While the trip was meant to be only a week long, Carl was struck by the beauty of the coast and decided to stay. After a few days living out of hotels in the Downtown Eastside, Carl was also struck by the harsh violence present on the streets of Vancouver. He and his friend scouted out places for free meals in the neighborhood and quickly decided that Union Gospel Mission had the best food.

Drawn back repeatedly for the great meals, Carl was also touched by the ever-present love and attention from Outreach Workers. “They shook my hand, asked my name, and asked how I was doing. They had genuine concern and they cared about me. That’s why I kept coming here.”

Over time Carl developed a trusting relationship with UGM’s staff and volunteers. Feeling uplifted and inspired within this supportive community, Carl decided to join UGM’s Alcohol & Drug Recovery Program. While working through the program, Carl experienced a major transformation in his perspective. He realized that, while his life had been filled with darkness and strife, he had a very special gift to share: The gift of encouragement. “The more sober I became and the more clear headed I was thinking, I noticed that if you’re happy and you’re positive, you encourage people, it spreads it around and everybody gets it.”

Today, Carl is over 3 years clean and sober and is employed at UGM. Carl reflects on his transformation, “For me, it all started with a meal and, thanks to the support of donors, my life today is positive and upbeat.”

Carl is a real blessing to those he meets and it is truly evident that he is committed to serving however he can. And Carl wanted to pass on this inspiring message to readers, donors, and to everybody else…

“The Bible teaches us to give back, to love your brothers and sisters, and that’s what we’re supposed to do. We have to take care of one another.”

Music always came naturally for John. At 10, he took an interest in learning guitar and started teaching himself songs by ear. However, like many adolescents, as he entered his teenage years, partying with friends took over as his top priority.

By the time he turned 14, John knew he was starting to develop a drinking problem, which progressed well into his adulthood. He reflects, "At first drinking gave me courage to be who I wanted to be, but after a while people started looking at me strangely for the things I did when I was drunk but couldn't remember. Then the lying began, and the conning, the manipulating, the excuses, the rationalizations, and the justification. I was living a lie, one day at a time."

John worked as a manager in the lucrative hotel industry, which only fueled his addiction. "I led a high roller lifestyle. I wouldn’t start drinking until 4pm, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to stand by the end of my shift at 1am. My life before UGM was all about me, and all about money", he remembers.

Eventually, unable to juggle work, life, and his addiction to alcohol and drugs, John joined an Alcoholics Anonymous group and, after much hard work, recovered from his addiction to alcohol. Things were on the mend, but then John got into gambling. He shares, "I was back into the same kind of lifestyle, I had just replaced drinking with something else. I had become addicted to gambling and as a result lost my job. When you lose your job it's hard to keep life rolling as planned."

Struggling to make ends meet, while in between jobs, John ended up homeless and at his wits end. "I started to hear thoughts that the world would probably be a better place without me. Every waking moment that thought was running through my mind, louder and louder as time went on," he says. "That thought pattern is mental anguish at the highest level. If people asked me how I was doing, I’d just say, “I’m okay”. I was completely isolated in my addiction, in denial and delusion about where I was at."

John came to Union Gospel Mission for a hot meal, and was welcomed warmly by a trained Outreach Worker. "Out of the blue a staff member came up to me and asked if I had a place to stay for the night. I said no, and he arranged a place for me to stay in the shelter. Basically, my transition into a healthy, happy life started right then and there. I went in for a meal, got a place to stay for the night, and then, while I was in the shelter, I made a decision to give recovery another shot." With the support of UGM counsellors and staff, as well as his fellow recovery program participants, John was able to overcome his addictions, and nurture the things that mattered to him most, and it all started with a meal.

After several years clean and sober, John committed himself to the training and education necessary to become a UGM Outreach Worker so he could help others find the joy and healing that he’d struggled towards for so long. "Every day I want to be there for somebody who is hurting, and needs a little hope. When I hear somebody say, “I’m okay”, I pay special attention because I know that sometimes "I’m okay" doesn’t really mean that at all." Through his work at UGM, John discovered he has an ability to preach, teach, and share his story in a way that gives hope the guests at UGM.

A few years ago, John rediscovered his love of music and realized it could be a powerful tool to bring peace and healing through his work. Now, at 7am most mornings throughout the week, John can be found leading UGM guests in music. "The music and worship starts to break down that outer shell, and says to people in a clear, gentle voice – You can find healing. You can find love. Amazing grace is kind of an anthem for me: once I was lost but now am found, once was blind, but now I see."

Today, John continues to embrace the joys and challenges each day brings. "It's amazing. Every day I wake up entering into uncharted territory. Life is a gift, recovery is a gift." John has become an invaluable part of the UGM Outreach Team. His testimony and music continue to touch the hearts of those who are looking for a glimpse of hope, waiting for an invitation to turn their life around and embrace life, once again.