A word from David Carr, MCRM COO
I would like to introduce you to Stephen Tristan. Stephen is our Hope for Men Program Manager. He heads up our men's program. Stephen works hard to identify men for the program by reviewing referrals and going into the courts to interview men for possible program placement. Stephen also oversees all the groups that take place within the men's program and oversees community stewardship opportunities that the men have. Stephen is a wonderful man of God who pours his heart out to these men to help them get on the right pathway to follow God.
Stephen’s Story
I am the program manager for the HOPE for Men program at the Merced Rescue Mission. In November I will have 21 years of sobriety.
My journey has not been easy, but I have achieved far more than imaginable through the Grace of God. It was Jesus Christ who brought me to a place where I was in search of real meaning, and I got saved as a born-again Christian at the age of 27. I came from a lifestyle of drug abuse and chaos being the norm. Through His healing power, I was fortunate enough to end my cycle of self-destruction, and I started a whole new lifestyle of living with purpose and reason.
My background consisted of growing up in a loving home, but it was a home with few consequences. I was raised in a biker family, and consequently, I was exposed to many things that may not have been very appropriate for a curious young boy. I was first introduced to substance use at the age of ten, and I can honestly say I was a full-blown alcoholic by the time I started high school. As a full-blown addict during my late teenage and young adult years, there was no future for me. My life at this point consisted of all sorts of addictive behaviors -- broken relationships with family and friends, struggling to make ends meet, and fighting off demons that refused to let me be. Even then, I still believed that I was better than everyone else because I was a “unique user”. I graduated high school, and I held a full-time job. In my messed-up thoughts, I had it all under control, but then I reached a breaking point when I realized I was sick and tired of being sick and tired of the way I was living my life. I was living such a depressed life that I was sleeping with a Bible under my pillow for comfort, and I would cry myself to sleep after self-medicating with alcohol. Thanks be to God that He spoke to me in His unique ways.
I remember going through a phone book looking for answers to my pain. I was never court-mandated, nor was I taking these steps to try to make someone else happy. I was doing this for me. I called THE CAMP Recovery Center in Scotts Valley simply to inquire. The next morning, they were knocking at my door ready to take me in. I consequently checked myself into a rehabilitation center, and that was the first day of the rest of my new life.
Seventeen years into my recovery I was faced with many challenges. I was on the verge of losing my family amid a divorce and had a handful of hardships that I needed to overcome. Although I had struggles, I still had the foundation of my sobriety and my love for Jesus Christ. This was when I was introduced to the Merced County Rescue Mission. They took me in and housed me in their Transitional Living program. I fell in love with the Merced Rescue Mission because it was with their love and guidance that I was able to overcome my hardships. I immediately knew that I wanted to contribute and give back by helping others recover by, first and foremost, putting our Lord Jesus Christ first in all that I do and by sharing my experience, my courage, my strength, and my hope.
