My name is Thomas Bryant, and for much of my life I was searching for peace in all the wrong places. As a child, I grew up in a home marked by fear, abuse, and instability. I was always on edge, never knowing what would happen next. After spending time in foster care and experiencing more trauma, I turned to alcohol and drugs to escape the pain. What began as a way to numb my hurt eventually became a lifelong battle with addiction. In 2009, I finally reached a point where I knew I had to change. I entered a Christian recovery program and, over the next several years, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies, a Master’s degree in Christian Counseling, became ordained, and eventually helped lead that recovery program.
I married the woman of my dreams and dedicated my life to helping other men find freedom from addiction. But my recovery was not a straight line. After years of pouring myself into ministry and counseling others, I neglected my own self-care. The stress caught up with me, and, after nearly a decade of sobriety, I relapsed. My addiction returned in full force. My marriage fell apart and I found myself once again lost and struggling. Everything took another turn in 2023. I was homeless and, quite honestly, desperate. A member of the Mission’s Search & Rescue Outreach team stopped to talk with me one night out on the streets. He listened to my story, prayed with me, and connected me to the New Life Recovery Program at the Tacoma Rescue Mission. That moment became a turning point for me. God directing me back to the narrow path. I rediscovered hope and purpose again through the program, the counseling it offered, faith, and the support of others. I believe my story is proof that no one is beyond redemption.
The pain of my past did not disappear, but it no longer defines me. All of these events were just the first chapters, the ups and downs, of my recovery journey. Those of us in recovery know that our recovery journey doesn’t end at a program graduation, that’s where it begins. Recovery is a lifelong. Years later, I’m back at the Tacoma Rescue Mission. Not as a shelter guest or recovery program participant, but as a case manager in the very program that saved my life. Now, I have the privilege of walking alongside men facing the same struggles I once faced, offering hope and profound grace from a place of experience. My goal is to use everything I have lived through, with God as my strength and compass, to help others find healing, recovery, and a new life. I pray that you’ll join me in whatever ways you can to love our neighbors who are still finding their way, just like I was.
