Years of heartache and addiction led Curtis to
the Mission.

The early years of Curtis’ life were filled with uncertainty and many changes within his home. Curtis and his mom were very close, especially after his dad left when he was only 6 months old. Curtis’ mom got remarried to an abusive man and he carried the weight of protecting her. “My mom was the more important person in my life growing up.”

His mom eventually left the abusive relationship and remarried a man that loved and supported him and his mom. However, a move to Victorville for a fresh start left Curtis feeling alone, with no close friends. “We bounced around a lot in the elementary years and it was hard to make friends,” he said. “In my teens was when I started being a knucklehead and getting into trouble.”

The teen years brought about many difficulties with school and along with that came drugs and alcohol. The anger and resentment he felt due to his dad leaving and his mom being abused was “a lot to carry and deal with,” so Curtis sought out friends who were bad influences. “I got into trouble at school. I did not take homework seriously and blew it off. I had the ability and was a good learner, but I started using pot, cocaine, and hallucinogenics.”

Curtis continued to use drugs, alcohol, and party. At 19 years old he found out he was a father. “I did not react well when I found out I was a dad,” Curtis said. “I used drugs to deal with it.” Curtis increased his drug use to numb the pain that he was abandoning his daughter— the same way his dad had done to him. “After this I got into another relationship and my whole world fell apart.”

With his new girlfriend, Curtis became a dad again, but this time the baby had complications and died. The devastation of losing a child made Curtis “angry at God, the world, and everyone. It was at that moment I stopped caring about everything.”

After two more failed relationships and the birth of two more daughters, Curtis found himself at rock bottom again. He started using amphetamines after a the relationship with his fourth daughter’s mother ended. “All the past trauma, regrets, and deaths all came back and I was no longer numb and I didn’t know how to handle it.”

Over the next few years, Curtis would find himself in and out of sober living and rehabilitation centers. “I wasn’t fully ready,” he said. “I was still hiding pot and cigarettes. I ended up losing it all and sleeping in a tent out in a field.”

At this time his older brother called the Mission. “I was scared about going into the program and giving up this lifestyle,” Curtis said, “but after a few days of getting sober I decided I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I slept for the first few days. My body had been through so much.”

Curtis sees that God has a purpose for his life and that he’s in the program to heal. “I got a call that my bio-dad passed away and I know God had me here and with these guys to get me through that,” he said.

Curtis has a love of the Bible and wants to go into ministry after graduation. His relationship with God has grown and he wants to share that love with others. “Things can change if you allow God’s will in your life,” he said. The belonging that Curtis was looking for as a child has been found in God. “God has restored my heart, given me friends, and is healing the pain of losing my daughter.”