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.

In 2008, my fifteen years spent in addiction came to a crossroad. I was faced with losing everything: my family, my job, my friends. I was offered a place to get help at Wagner Hills. I was scared about the reality of becoming sober. I did not want to go, yet at the same time, I knew I needed help. I knew I had to face my issues. This made me even more apprehensive. I chose to get help. It was at The Farm that my life would change course. It was the best decision of my entire life. 

I now have a wife, two wonderful boys, an education, an amazing career, the list goes on. Most importantly, I encountered God for the very first time at The Farm. God touched me. It was real. Forever I am changed because of this encounter. A new person, a child of God. I am so thankful for The Farm and the lives that have been changed through its programs and facilities. It works. Trust me, I know.

I was very young when I first noticed addiction in my home. I had some incredibly traumatic experiences and needed to suppress the pain, which led me to drink and use drugs. I had been in addiction 12 years prior to coming to The Farm. Since coming to Wagner Hills, my life has been radically transformed. One area where God changed my life was through the cut flower program at The Farm.

When I was a young girl I wasn’t able to hear very well. I relied on my eyes and sense of smell to engage with the world. I have distinct memories of being a little girl, walking with my grandma and smelling flowers with her. I was innocent, free, and could appreciate the delicate beauty in a flower. I lost that over the years, and in many ways, I lost myself. 

By being a part of the flower garden at Wagner Hills, I found myself again. I was able to heal and go back to being that little girl who could see God in the beauty of a flower. I was able to see the beauty in me.

The cut flower program helped me grow into a person who appreciates creation and the work of God in nature. Each flower is unique and requires different care and attention. My time at Wagner Hills has been a place where God has tended to me in the same way, which has led to healing, new growth, and transformation in my life.

I came through The Farm five years ago. I was hopelessly addicted to alcohol and drugs, and I was looking for a way out. The choice was mine: death or life. I chose life. I’d been to many different recovery centres, but there was something different about Wagner Hills—the community. It is like a big family. I wasn’t just another client or another number going through the system, I felt welcomed and loved from the first day I arrived. 

Wagner Hills Farm is where I started my relationship with Jesus and learned how to set foundations for a life built on rock, instead of sand. After I completed the one-year program, I married my beautiful wife and started a family of our own. My wife and I have the privilege of working for Wagner Hills, where I work as a site manager. I get to use my dark past and experiences to help the next guy in line on the road to recovery.

That’s the day I first went to Wagner Hills Farm and my life changed forever. I was living on the streets, hooked on drugs, and had been in-and-out of jail. That was my identity. In reality, though, I was a hurting person, looking for love and acceptance.

My first stay at The Farm was eight months, but I fell back into addiction. I spent almost three of the next eight years in recovery. Eventually, things started clicking, and the lessons I learned at The Farm started to take root in my life. I left recovery for the last time at the end of 2007. I set out with $5 and a Pontiac Firefly to start my construction business. It’s been thirteen years since then and my business is booming. I’ve also been married for twelve years and have two beautiful children. It has been a challenge, but I continue to grow each day. I honestly don’t know where I would be today without Wagner Hills Farm...I doubt I’d even be alive.