There was a time when Steve’s mom stayed up late each night, pacing in her bedroom and praying “Lord, please don’t take my son.” Little did she know all God was about to do in his life. His trials began when, as Steve puts it, he made bad choices to go into the streets of Baltimore and “follow the crowd.” And what happens when you follow everyone else, he says, “you get what everyone else is getting.” Drugs, jail, homelessness, and the “whole nine yards.
Steve ended up in a dark pit, but one he now believes God brought him to. From that difficult place, he made the decision to get clean and come to Water Street, one of the only choices he had at the time. Despite feeling the loving atmosphere, arriving at Water Street was still a “culture shock.” He had grown up with faith, but he still struggled, blaming God for what was missing in life. Over time, he learned that sometimes God allows obstacles so you can grow through them. “A lot of times I thought I was waiting on God to bless me,” he explains. “God said ‘No, I’m waiting on you to get in position so I can better your condition.”
“I’ve been very blessed over the years, and I attribute a lot of that to my foundation. My foundation was here at Water Street.”
— Steve, Former Guest and Current Staff Member
At Water Street, Steve became more open and teachable, working hard to build a strong foundation while surrounded by people who believed in him. Soon he was working at the thrift store Water Street used to have, where he got his first suit to attend church. He was on a roll. In about six months, he was ready to live on his own, and in four years, he bought his own house.
The next few decades for Steve were a rollercoaster. He won powerlifting competitions, published two books, including a book of poetry, and raised his family. Finally, after tackling so much, he was ready to come back to Water Street. “I found out right away that I just had a passion for helping guests settle in. I could relate,” he says. Today, he’s going on over eight years of walking alongside men and women going through homelessness as a staff member of Water Street Mission. For him, it’s a joy and a privilege to serve. “You know, it’s not a job to me. It’s like more of an assignment.”
“If God did it for me, he can do it for you as well. Just trust Him.”
— Steve, Former Guest and Current Staff Member
Looking back at his life, it’s a strong reminder of how one person working on themselves can have a powerful ripple effect on others. As Steve says, “If God did it for me, he can do it for you as well. Just trust Him. He’s got blessings for you that you can’t even imagine, but you got to get in alignment with Him too.”
Would you like to get an inside look of the joys, challenges, and restoration happening at Water Street? Subscribe below to receive news and updates.