Kevin is grateful to have reunited with his two daughters.

This is the fifth story in a series chronicling this year’s theme of “Access and Opening Doors.” This month, we look into Kevin’s story, recounting his journey to a new life.

Kevin begins each day of his Vocational Construction Program with Bible study and prayer. “We start the day with the right focus,” he explained, “and it helps me to stay grateful for where I am and for all that I am learning. There is genuine help here and I am making real changes.”

Kevin grew up in Santa Barbara in a family he describes as loving but dysfunctional. “I remember my mom yelling at my dad a lot. I learned later that he was having affairs.” His parents separated when Kevin was in junior high and he ended up staying with his dad. “We moved into an apartment, and I was alone a lot because my dad was working so much. I remember one day after school going through my dad’s pockets and finding weed. I decided to try it, and it wasn’t long before I was hooked.”

A few years later Kevin got a job at a grocery store and soon had enough of his own money to buy marijuana. “I was splitting my time between my rich surfer friends and the ones from the rougher side of Santa Barbara,” he recalled, “but I was always drawn more to the excitement of the ‘underbelly.’”

After moving to Lompoc, Kevin reconnected with his old friend Calvin. “I knew Calvin was trouble, but I was curious about what he was up to and part of me missed the excitement of the old days.” After seeing the huge roll of cash that Calvin was waving around, Kevin began dealing drugs alongside his friend. “We were selling crack and making lots of money. We had an apartment together, cars, and new clothes.” That all ended when Calvin was arrested. Kevin managed to avoid being charged, but his “scared-straight” moment didn’t last long.

Kevin spent the next several years in and out of “a series of bad relationships. I was aways with someone who was using or dealing, and I was so caught up in all of it, going from crack to speed to crystal meth.”

Somehow managing to get out of that life, Kevin moved back to Santa Barbara in 2004 and found a job at UCSB. He met someone and they had two daughters. “We were living a pretty normal life, but I was still dabbling in drug use and dealing,” he said. Things fell apart when after a morning argument, Kevin sped away from their house in a car that had both drugs and guns in the trunk. He was stopped by the sheriff’s department, arrested, and spent six months at Ironwood Penitentiary in the California desert. “It was about as close to hell as you could get here on Earth,” said Kevin, “and I prayed to God daily to get me out of there.”

After being released, Kevin’s family begged him to come home but he found himself drawn back into his old ways. After the loss of a job and the death of his father, Kevin felt he had nothing to live for and attempted to end his life. He was miraculously spared when the cord he was using to hang himself gave way. Kevin was arrested the next day on an outstanding warrant and was back in jail for 40 days.

The Vocational Construction Program residents (in orange), led by Director Ken Threloff (middle),
often work alongside RMA’s Facilities Department (in blue).

Out of jail, Kevin spent a week at the Sober Center in Santa Barbara where he asked to be sent to the Mission, arriving in November 2024. “I felt I was finally ready for a real change,” he said, “and after only a short time at the Mission, I knew I had made the right choice.”

Kevin credits the biblical classes with helping him understand the decisions he had made and why he found positive change so difficult. “(The process) really makes you dig deep. It’s not easy and no one enjoys doing it, but it makes all the difference.” He has also found a deep connection with God and spends time daily in prayer and Bible reading. “I am learning what it means to be truly dependent on God’s mercy and grace,” he said.

Kevin has reconnected with his two, now adult, daughters and though he and their mom have parted ways, they are friends. “My daughters never lost hope for me and their love is stronger than ever. They even tell me that they have learned from my mistakes. Despite all the pain I caused, that makes me smile.”

With a few months left in his program, Kevin is looking towards a bright future. “I want to find a job on an oil rig or maybe at the port,” he said. “But whatever I do, I plan on staying connected to my church, along with my spiritual advisors and mentor. This place has truly saved my life and the best way to pay that back is to continue on the path that God has put me on.”