A Story of Surrender and New Life

As he got older, Anton became a father. But his relationships with his children were deeply hurt by his addiction and his spiritual struggle.

He got evicted twice in 2025 and became homeless, feeling like there was “just nothing left” for him. He had lost his home, stability, access to his kids, and he felt far from God. But in that broken place, he made a choice to take himself to the psych ward. They said that after eight days his bill would be super high, and when they asked, “Where are you going to go?” he said, “I don’t really actually know.”

But someone on the team at the psych ward knew about Gospel Rescue Mission, and more importantly, they knew someone there. They called that person and explained that Anton was going to be discharged and needed a place to stay. Through “God’s grace,” they held a bed for him for a day.

Anton arrived at GRM angry and bitter. He didn’t want to surrender. But something powerful happened there at GRM: the people “kept showing me God’s grace.”

Then one day, something terrifying happened. He had a stroke. In that moment of crisis, he heard a voice he knew was Jesus. During the stroke, Jesus spoke to him: “I will not heal anything that you do not let go of.” As soon as he heard that, he says, “The stroke started to dissipate.” That experience changed him.

At GRM, Anton began a serious journey of sobriety. “Today I’m 148 days sober. First time in my life that I’ve ever achieved such a thing since I started using.”

He talks about how God speaks gently and constantly says, “Do not fear.” For Anton, walking with Jesus means learning to see himself the way God sees him—not as his past, not as his addiction, not as his poverty, but as a beloved child learning to bloom.

Something he wishes he had heard earlier is “Surrender.”

Through all of this, GRM has been the ground where God planted him so he could grow again.