I checked in when I was 25 years old and had been using hard drugs for 10 years at that point. At first, it seemed my using was a way to deal with my insecurities, but it ran deeper than that. I was trying to deal with a deep brokenness, a sense of abandonment.

I chased after outside stimulation to try and deal with the growing emptiness, confusion, and anger inside me. It got to a point where I prayed that the outside stimulation—that the heroin—would take my life. I began to mix street drugs with pharmaceuticals, hoping I wouldn’t wake up. I began to use too much. I longed for peace. I was hopeless. I thought death was the way out.

I checked into Wagner Hills Farm in 1998. It was a safe, peaceful place where I was loved and introduced to many things that brought healing and growth and eventually transformed my life.

These past 24 years since leaving Wagner Hills as a resident have been an adventure.

I grew up (mostly). I married my wife, Nicole, and had three children: Ali, Max, and Zoe. I went to school, took courses, and worked in different parts of the world as a pastor.

In 2008, Nicole and I returned from overseas. Shortly thereafter, I returned to Wagner Hills, this time as a board member, then as the Men’s Campus Director, and eventually as Executive Director, a journey that has been underway for over a decade.

At Wagner Hills, we point to Jesus Christ first. He is the Son of God, who died on the cross to set us free and he has a plan for our lives. This truth is at the core of Wagner Hills Farm. And it is our honour to provide a safe place where men experience Jesus as they journey through their year (and beyond) with us.

We love our work and are so grateful for your support that allows us to walk alongside these men as they find their way to Him.