Turning Pain into Purpose

When Michael left home, it wasn’t on a whim. It was survival.

He had spent years living in a household marked by domestic violence, carrying the weight of trauma that no one his age should have to bear. Eventually, he ran—not to escape responsibility, but to protect his spirit. And in the midst of that chaos, he found something unexpected: faith.

“I used to turn to drugs,” he told us. “But now, I turn to God.”

Michael speaks about his past with honesty and clarity. There’s no sugarcoating, but there is hope. He’s open about the temptations he’s faced—and the strength it takes to walk away from them. For him, healing has come not all at once, but in small moments of clarity, discipline, and grace.

He’s a thinker, too. He grew up loving Pokémon—something that still brings him a nostalgic sense of comfort. These days, he finds peace in Seattle’s ever-changing skies and the diversity of the people around him. “You see all walks of life here,” he said. “It makes you feel less alone.”

Michael’s story isn’t defined by what he’s been through—it’s shaped by how he’s chosen to move forward.

In a world that often turns away, he’s chosen to turn toward light, toward healing, toward God.

And in doing so, he reminds us that recovery doesn’t always look like a straight line. Sometimes, it looks like faith. Sometimes, it looks like courage. Sometimes, it looks like Michael.