Chase grew up in West Salem with a whole community of friends built up there, but found out when he was 7 years old that his family would be moving to Sublimity. Moving to a different city, out in the country, they had no neighbors nearby and Chase no longer had friends he could talk to or hang out with. “I just instantly felt like I had nobody I could talk to when I was sad or had a problem.” With his mom in between jobs and his dad working long shifts every day, Chase felt like his parents weren’t able to spend enough time with him and his sister. “I started to become secretly angry and them and start acting out.” Starting out school, Chase didn’t make very many friends at first, but eventually met three really good friends between third and fifth grade. Going over to these friends’ houses helped Chase to feel like he had people to talk to and speak into his life more than his parents were able to at that time. He started going to a youth group throughout middle school with one friend, whose parents encouraged them to go every week and strengthen their relationship with God.

Once high school came, Chase starting trying to make friends with other kids and share his relationship with God, but eventually got sucked into their lifestyle instead. “I got rid of the whole idea of God for a while.” He started to feel a whole in his heart that he was trying to fill with external things. After about 8 months, Chase realized his friends we’re starting to go further down into the lifestyle they’d chosen and decided he didn’t want to be a part of that anymore. He reached out to his friend Connor one night. “I told him, I hate that I don’t have God in my life right now.” Connor told his to read his bible so he did and Chase felt God back in his life again. “I felt that whole in my heart being filled instantly.” Chase started going to youth group again, taking many steps in his relationship with God including baptism. 

Soon after that, Chase found out his parents were getting a divorce. He felt like he was out of options for a healthy living space after that, so he was sleeping at different friend’s houses and basically living out of his car. “I felt a new type of loneliness. I still didn’t have anybody to go to, it felt like, but I didn’t have a place to go to. I didn’t have a safe space.” After a short while, a staff member from SCF found out he was couch surfing and offered him a place to live. “It’s helped me so much in my spiritual, emotional, and physical life.” Throughout Chase’s life, God has been with him every step of the way. “Every time that I was lacking in something that I needed, emotionally and spiritually, God would always provide it.” Chase now volunteers with the SCF Kids Ministry and serves regularly at our Mission of Hope food pantry and loves doing things for God’s Kingdom.