Part One

Marlon grew up on a farm in Sarnia, Ontario and spent much of his time in Port Huron, Michigan. He’s quick to point out that he never lived more than 20 minutes from the Blue Water Bridge over the St. Clair River, which serves as an international border between the U.S. and Canada.“When I tell people that I’m originally from Canada, they’re all — ‘Canada! Ah, now that explains it," he said. "'That's why Marlon’s so nice!’”As an only child, Marlon was responsible for a good bit of cooking at home, but that’s something he enjoyed, so he wouldn’t call it “work.”“I grew up cooking — I loved it,” Marlon beamed. “I used to cook for fun. I would cook for the church dinners. My mother and grandmother brought me to church and Sunday school.”When Marlon gets on the topic of his mom, it’s clear to see his love for her.“My mother had me at 16 and graduated from high school early," he said. "[She] went on to get her degree in sociology. She was a caseworker. Then Detroit Edison, a coal facility, needed minorities that were women. My mother was the first woman heavy equipment operator for Detroit Edison. ... She worked her way from the bottom, all the way up to management. ... She was a black woman going from [down] here to a six-figure job. But she always told me, ‘no matter how we live, you’re no different than anyone else.’”Marlon and his mother moved to the U.S. when she married his stepfather, an even more blessed individual when it came to finances. In Marlon’s words, the family was “really, really wealthy.” It allowed Marlon an opportunity to focus on something he loved: baseball.His mother made sure he stayed down to earth, encouraging him to volunteer for Salvation Army and Adopt-A-Kid programs during the holidays. Giving back kept him humble, and the giving didn’t stop there.“I was always giving away my Tonka toys as a kid because that’s what she taught me," he said. "She would ask, ‘where are all your toys going?’ And I’d say, ‘Oh! Well, little Johnny has them, because he didn’t have any toys.’ ... To this day, I have no real value on material things. They come and go.”

Swing for the Fences

When Marlon was growing up, baseball was his life.He played center field most of the time, and his talent took him all over the country; even to Puerto Rico, as part of a travel league from ages 12 to 18.When he graduated from Port Huron High School, Marlon was drafted in the 28th round to the Cincinnati Reds. Despite his talent, he “didn’t think he was ready for all that,” so Marlon went to the University of Missouri instead.“I went to Missouri for three years and found the dark side of college sports," he said. "I played centerfield the first and second year. Then I got injured and addicted to morphine."Marlon paused to add, “I rarely talk about baseball unless it’s to help someone. … Other than that, I’m going to tell you about my journey. That’s more important. Because my journey is all about God. That’s the most important thing to me.”

His stepfather’s family owned multiple companies, so Marlon always had easy work to do for good pay. By the time Marlon was in his twenties, he was managing underground sewage planning and other odd jobs. He was making good money and traveling often: from Vancouver to Los Angeles and everywhere in between. But by that point, it wasn't about the money — it was about supporting a habit. His drug of choice was crack cocaine.

Shock and Awe

“When my mom got sick with cancer — first diagnosed in 2007, it came back in 2009 — they couldn’t do anything," Marlon said. "I remember her last days. She’s on the bed, and I’m playing my guitar while she’s slowly passing away."For Marlon, losing his mother was earth-shattering. Marlon lost his moral compass and his habit began to take complete control.“I fell further into my addiction and depression," he said. "I did not want to live. … I was doing that much [drugs] to where it would have killed someone else, but it didn’t happen to me. … So then I got into drug-dealing.”Marlon was eventually spending more than $50,000 a month on product to sell. His habit was at it's peak, and such a criminal life only reinforced his desire to die. And his wish was nearly granted.In 2010, Marlon was involved in a big drug deal gone wrong. While riding in a van doing 60 down the highway, a gun was held to his face. He had to make a quick choice, and chose to jump."The guy in front was like, ‘give us the money right now!’ And the last thing I remember was a silver gun right there," he said. "I can’t tell you how or why I jumped out of that van at over sixty miles per hour.”

A Long Walk

The incident was reported in the Port Huron Times Herald, with a headline that read ‘Bloody man thrown from vehicle.’At the crime scene, a bystander told reporters that “it looked like his head was dunked in a bucket of blood.” Marlon spent four days on life support, three months and 21 days in a coma and got 54 screws in his face. But he was alive.Later, Marlon recounted a miraculous experience he had on the roadside that day."There was a lady who stopped for me," he said. "I remember a lady caressing my head. She said, ‘Marlon, you’re going to be okay. God is with you. God will always be with you.’ It was so comforting. … I don’t know who this lady was, and her name wasn’t in the article. The detective said, ‘she didn’t want you to die alone.’”Alone was exactly how Marlon felt in his heart. And after five months of rehabilitation in the hospital working hard and staying clean, he returned to his addiction. Not long after, Marlon was slapped with a felony drug warrant, got spooked and went on the run.From Port Huron to Tempe, Arizona and out to Sacramento, California, Marlon was running from the consequences of his actions for three long years.

Part Two

Marlon returned to Michigan ready for prison."I finally decided to stop running and turn myself in," he said.What he found there was grace — the court only gave him a year and a half of unsupervised probation. Marlon stayed in addiction.He was getting high every day from January to April next year. The drugs were all he had left. But then, something changed.“April 10 was my last day of drug use," he said. " On April 13, I put on a backpack and took a cab over the bridge to the U.S. I got into Michigan and asked God for help. … I had no money, no nothing. I was packed for San Diego. And then I started walking. I was ready to start my new life.”Marlon chose San Diego because he wanted to be somewhere warm, where he could sleep outside. He was no slouch — he could find a job easy enough — but housing would be hard to find.“There were some nights it got so cold (before I had my jacket, and I only had shorts) that I had to walk overnight to stay warm," he said. "I would just talk to myself, and talk to God, and think about my life.”

On the way to San Diego, Marlon often found churches where he could rest.His eventual arrival in Colorado must have felt a little like the first settlers from the Great Plains when viewing the Rocky Mountains — 'uh oh.’San Diego wouldn’t come easy. In Colorado, the only way west was over the Continental Divide.

Rocky Mountain High

Once in Colorado Springs, Marlon was looking for a meal and maybe a good night's sleep — so he made his way to Springs Rescue Mission.The plan was still to head west toward San Diego, but he was in need of rest. When he got to the campus in downtown Colorado Springs, he ate a hot meal and found directions down to Albuquerque; and off he went.But after three failed attempts, he felt exhausted and returned to the Mission for the night.“I got up the next day, ready to conquer and get to Albuquerque," he said. "But during breakfast, a guy in the New Life Program got up and said, ‘if there’s anyone in here who wants to start their new life the right way, then the New Life Program is here for you.’ And I had my head down in the back, but popped up and was like, ‘man, that’s me!’"

A Brand New Day

August 1, 2018 was a big day for Marlon; as he was accepted and welcomed into the New Life Program.“When I got here , I looked at my badge, and it said Samaritan’s Kitchen," he said. "I’m like, ‘What’s this?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, that’s where you’re working for the program.’”Marlon had sworn to never work in a kitchen when his mother died, so he confined himself to the dish tank. That didn’t fly. He had to step up — it wasn’t a choice.Between time with his church community and work in the kitchen, Marlon even picked up the guitar again. He played every day. His fellow NLP brothers would sit down and listen most days; it gave them a chance to think and reflect.As months went by, his melodies began to change — and so did Marlon.He worked in Samaritan's Kitchen, graduated the Mission Culinary Academy and got a job working a Phantom Canyon. Eventually, folks around the Mission took to calling him "Chef Marlon." From Phantom Canyon, Marlon went on to a full-time job at the new Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Colorado Springs.

Looking Ahead

Marlon leaves his mark on everyone he meets. He’s a natural leader, but he doesn’t make himself the focus.“The NLP has brought me up to be a leader," he said. "Now, I get in front of people and I’m okay to talk. That’s what I love to do: encourage people and bring them in. ... I tell them all, ‘perfection is not attainable. But while chasing perfection, you’re going to catch excellence. So do it every day. ... By trying every day, and giving 100 percent every day, you’re excellent.”Marlon’s speech pattern is saturated with humility and encouragement. It permeates his interactions and fills the cracks of dried-up places in others’ lives. Even the language around him shifts.“I have these sayings that everyone says now: Alright, alright; It’s a beautiful thang; You gotta love it; and indeed that is," he said. “I’m making an impact for that moment. And my mother used to tell me, she said, ‘Don’t ever think you’re going to save everyone. Shoot for impact. You gotta make an impact.’”

Part Three

After Marlon’s graduation from the New Life Program on August 28 of last year, he went to live in a local Oxford House home. He was in good company — living among other men in recovery and commiserating over matters of faith and sobriety.It didn’t take Marlon long to begin climbing the ladder to leadership. Soon after moving into the Oxford House, he was elected president of the home. And after just two months working as a cook at the Hilton Garden Inn, he was promoted to the somewhat coveted position of sous chef. He felt God’s hand in his life.“I’m thinking that’s where God put me,” he said of his job. “He brought that love of cooking back and put me there to find joy in that and to serve others.”While in the program at Springs Rescue Mission, Marlon learned how to use his presence in the kitchen to bless others with happiness and positivity; and he was grateful for that opportunity.

It came as quote a surprise to Marlon when he was offered a new position in outreach for Oxford House. He politely declined, believing he was right where God wanted him. But when asked again, he had a change of heart and relented. He took a leap of faith and joined the Oxford team in Pueblo.“I’m from Canada — I’d never heard of Pueblo,” he said. “But that’s where God wanted me, and I was ready to obey.”His time working for Oxford House has been fulfilling. He spends most of his days travelling between several different sober homes in Pueblo, responding to needs and solving problems.“I’ve really put my heart into it,” he said. “My life now is to do God’s work. I’m a servant, and I’ll do whatever I can for these people.”A couple of his pet peeves are trust and consistency. He believes the two go hand in hand, and he strives to be a source of those things in the lives of those around him. He uses what he learned through his own experience — as well as a recovery coach training class he took through Springs Recovery Connection — to educate, encourage and motivate others.“I want to be that person for people,” he said. “Everyone should have someone they can trust to be there for them when they need it — even when it’s hard. And I love to motivate people.”When it comes to his sobriety and recovery, Marlon stays vigilant. He knows firsthand that it’s a slippery slope that wouldn’t stop until it once again robbed him of everything he holds dear: the beautiful life he’s worked so hard to build for himself since he first got sober over two years ago.“My drug of choice was crack cocaine,” he said. “I know that it only takes one time to start on that slippery slope again. Because I’d quickly go to doing it every day; then I’d sell my car and everything I own; then I’d be ashamed and want to hide from everyone; and then I’d start walking.”“But I’m not walking anymore — I’m done with that life,” he said.Marlon’s now excited for the opportunity to help establish an Oxford House location for women and children in Pueblo, and he’s reviving the hopes and dreams of a future he once thought lost. He looks forward to one day starting a family and wants to stay healthy —physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually — so he can be ready for wherever God may lead him.“I’ll know when it’s God’s plan,” he said. “But until then, I’m happy where I’m at with what I’m doing. I know I’m where God wants me. And he knows best.”But for now, he knows his place in God’s plan for his life.He comes back to Springs Rescue Mission often, to visit with and support the men of the New Life Program. He thrives in community with surrogate families who have gathered around him at church, work and the Mission — people who support him through all life’s ups and downs.“I love to have people around me,” he said. “You got to have people to support and people to support you.”These days, his conversations are peppered with stories of gratefulness, faith and God’s mercy. He speaks of everyday miracles and the awe-inspiring love of God in his life.“God takes good care of me,” he said. “If nothing else, I know that to be true. He loves us so much.”Subscribe to our blog to learn more about Springs Rescue Mission and the people we serve — people who have seen tough times but are committed to breaking the cycles of homelessness, hunger and addiction in their lives. We see stories of hope and transformation lived out every day, and we’d love to share them with you.