Like the wise men who gazed at a star more than 2,000 years ago, Jon sat in his hotel room staring at the cross that sits atop Springs Rescue Mission. Finally, in April 2003, Jon followed that cross into the Mission.“I don’t know what I was looking for,” he recalls, “but I did know that nothing else was working.”When he walked inside, he carried with him a lifetime of hurt and rage. His father abandoned him. His stepfather beat him. “Friends” of the family molested him. His mother and stepfather were “druggies” and alcoholics. And he had to steal food from neighbors so he and his siblings could eat.He finally ran away at 14, hitting the streets and roaming the country — but he only experienced more abuse. “I became angry, resentful, and hateful toward everyone,” he says. “I felt like people were just out to use and abuse.”The only solace he found was drugs. Mostly speed. “Speed numbed me out. As long as I was high, I could escape and not have to think about reality.”

Something had to change

He briefly settled down and had a daughter in 1995. But he soon abandoned his family and continued running. By the time he landed in Colorado Springs in 2003, he was burned out and knew something had to change.So when he walked inside Springs Rescue Mission, he immediately gave his life to Jesus — and he spent the next 20 months immersing himself in the Word, praying, giving up his anger, and learning to live for Christ.

Today, Jon has been clean for 11 years. He’s married with two young children and he’s reconnected with his 19-year old daughter. He also runs his own successful remodeling company.Oh, and he gives back: “Everything I read in the Bible says it’s about giving to others. I want to do that. So I’ve started a nonprofit called Sock It to Him, which gives socks to the homeless. I also minister to the homeless downtown.”The wise men followed a star. Eleven years ago, Jon followed a Cross. This Christmas, Jon is following a King.