Seven months ago, Roger was tired—tired of addiction, tired of instability, and tired of not knowing where his life was headed next. He had been homeless, couch-surfing at his mother’s place in Texas, and carrying the weight of years of drug and alcohol use. What he wanted, more than anything, was a real fresh start.
So he did something simple… and brave. He prayed. Then he opened a map, pointed to a place and decided to go.
“I prayed and prayed, and God pointed me in the right direction.”
“I was looking for guidance,” Roger said. “And I prayed and prayed, and God pointed me in the right direction.”
That direction led him to Minnesota. When he arrived, he started calling shelters. The first three didn’t answer. The fourth did. Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities told him there was a bed available and invited him to come down. In a very real sense, Roger’s call was answered and so was his prayer.
Before coming to UGMTC, Roger’s life had been consumed by addiction.
“I was addicted out there on the streets… drugs, alcohol… every day,” he shared. “I got tired.”
He had tried programs before, but nothing seemed to stick. This time felt different. In the ACTS Training Program, Roger found not only treatment and spiritual guidance, but also people who were deeply invested in his healing.
“There’s something about the ACTS program that’s different,” Roger said. “The people there… the counselors, the workers… they give themselves into the program. They give a lot of their time. And for me, that’s what I needed.”
Today, Roger is sober and stable, and it shows. He speaks with clarity, hope and a quiet confidence that wasn’t there before.
“I feel great. I’ve never felt better in my life.”
“I feel great. I’ve never felt better in my life,” he said. “My body, my hope for life, it’s really gone up.”
The ACTS program has helped Roger look beyond survival and toward a future. Alongside recovery and spiritual formation, he’s building practical skills like learning workplace communication, basic computer skills and the tools he’ll need to hold down a job and move forward independently.
What Roger wants is simple, but profound.
“I want to be able to have a job I can go to every day, support myself, and not have to rely on other people,” he said. “I want to be able to do things on my own.”
As he’s walked this road, Roger has also discovered something deeper about himself.
“I actually have purpose in this world.”
“I learned that I have more inside me than just using drugs and not going anywhere,” he said. “I actually have purpose in this world. God and the ACTS program have given me purpose.”
Now, Roger isn’t just thinking about where he’s been, he’s focused on where he’s going. He talks about a “new life,” about direction, and about becoming someone who contributes to the community around him.
His story is a reminder that transformation doesn’t start with having everything figured out. Sometimes it starts with a prayer, a phone call and the courage to take one step toward hope.