Outpost Stories
Matt Sandoval: Putting Away Childish Things
Matt Sandoval grew up knowing there was a God, but without forming any kind of relationship with Jesus. In his early years, he relied on his worldly knowledge and the approval of his friends over God’s will and plan for his life. He sought temporary comfort in his sins of drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality to ease the sorrow in his life. It wasn’t until years into his stubborn sin and pride that the gospel was shared with him and he felt the Holy Spirit speak into his heart. He was urged to set aside his sins and follow Jesus and His Word. Matt’s experiences ultimately brought him to submit to God’s love and will in his life and share God’s light with his family and future generations. Read Matt’s story to see how God’s love and grace redeemed Matt, fostered a heart on fire for Jesus, and multiplied the blessings not only in Matt’s life, but his family’s lives as well.
Read the full story
Matt: “I wasn’t raised in a Christian family. My mom, she believed there was a God, but never was shown by her parents or anyone, how to follow Christ. I grew up in a family that went to church on holidays and at home it was a lot different.”
Matt lacked the firm foundation in childhood that would have taught him to turn to God during times of stress, trouble, and grief. Instead, Matt learned to rely on people he thought had his best interests at heart, and gave him a false sense of love and belonging: his friends at school.
Matt: “Middle school years (in Las Vegas) I was all about my friends. By the age of 12 we were smoking weed, drinking, doing all those things we shouldn’t be doing. I had older cousins and friends, and those were my role models. I wanted to be like them, and hang out with people like them. All we would do is fight, smoke, and do all these horrible things.”
By Matt’s 8th grade year, he had been expelled for having drugs on him at school. Matt’s family decided to make a new start in Cody, Wyoming, in the hopes that a fresh start would turn Matt’s life and choices around. The first years in Cody were difficult; the culture shock of a completely different environment and missing his friends in Las Vegas weighed heavily on Matt. Without God to turn to, Matt sought out the same types of people that would enable his sins and lead him away from God.
Although Matt had been trying to create a new life and reputation in Cody, he kept gravitating towards people who didn't trust in God and encouraged selfish choices. Because Matt didn’t submit to God, he kept falling back on old habits and the lie that his past sins would bring him comfort.
Matt: “I found the wrong kids in Cody and went back to smoking, drinking, sex, and all that high school kids can fall into easily. I kept in contact with my friends in Vegas; I still wanted to be friends with them.”
During Matt’s sophomore year in high school, he went back to Las Vegas during Christmas break to visit family. His mom warned him against visiting his old friends, but Matt refused to listen. He was still more concerned about pleasing his friends and falling back into the false comforts of his old sins.
While he was visiting, his friends decided they wanted to set people up with fancy, designer items, and the best way to gain them would be to steal them. They contacted sellers on social media, and made plans to rob people. Matt witnessed his friends assaulting strangers at gunpoint and thought nothing of the danger. His friends managed to convince Matt that he needed to commit the next theft.
Matt: “I was 15 years old and I pulled a gun out, loaded it, and I pointed it at another man. Luckily, God protected me then because the other guy could have had a gun and shot me, or who knows what could have happened in that situation. I knew it was wrong, but I thought I was the coolest kid ever.”
Matt knew that harming and threatening people was wrong, but he wanted to please and impress his friends. His entire world view placed his value in his friends’ approval, which meant doing whatever they asked him to do.
The third person that Matt and his friends set up to accost turned out to be undercover police officers. The police officers pulled up to Matt and his friends and asked them “Are you (so and so)?”
Matt could tell something was off and told the undercover officers “No.”
Matt: “Next thing I know the doors burst open, cars flooded the street, and I got tackled. I just remember thinking ‘Man, I let everyone down in Cody that saw potential in me; my coaches, my youth pastor, my family.’ I asked myself, “Who am I trying to be?”
Matt was arrested and spent several months in juvenile detention. During his time in juvenile detention, he met a night shift officer who shared the gospel with the boys. One verse stuck out in particular to Matt:
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Matt had a lot of time to think to himself as the boys were kept isolated in juvenile detention. He still didn’t have a relationship with Jesus, but the seeds of faith and growth had been planted. Matt began to think more about his aunt, who had shared the gospel and God with Matt as well.
Matt: “I remember I got a sudden urge to pick up a Bible and start reading.I prayed that night for God to give me a second chance, and instantly I heard him tell me, ‘Trust in me, follow me, and you’ll be okay.’”
From there everything worked out to where Matt needed to be. Matt’s family was able to work things out with the lawyers and courts so he could leave juvenile detention and go to Casper to attend a boys’ home for a few months.
Matt improved his behavior and was able to finish his last years of high school in Cody. Although he had made changes to his behavior and had prayed to God for forgiveness, he still wasn’t pursuing a relationship with Jesus. He still turned to his old sins for comfort instead of relying on God for strength and redemption.
Matt: “I mean, I said I knew, but my family and I still weren’t following Christ. I didn’t have anyone to tell me, ‘Hey, this is how you follow Christ.’”
Matt was still living for himself and looking for approval in others. His changes were all made so people would look at him and think “He’s changed, he’s a good kid.”
During Matt’s senior year of high school, Covid 19 struck and the schools turned to virtual learning. This gave many high schoolers, Matt included, unchecked freedom and isolation. As Matt’s friends in Cody grew older, many of them turned to the sins Matt had struggled with in the past. Matt’s old habits began to surface yet again and he turned to partying, drinking, smoking, and sexual immorality.
Matt’s summer after high school was spent in his old sin, and it wasn’t until August that he realized he would need to make some choices and plans for his future. Matt felt lost without God’s direction. While reflecting on his past, he remembered his juvenile detention officer that shared the gospel with him and the other boys. He decided to attend North West college and take some classes on Criminal Justice. Matt remembered 1 Corinthians 13:11 and asked himself,
Matt: “What kind of man do I want to be for my own kids?”
From there Matt began to focus less on himself and more on God. He recalls one night where he had been partying and drinking, and he remembered the promise he had given to God that he was going to change his life and follow Jesus.
Matt: “I got on my knees and prayed. I told God I want to give my life to you, I want to follow you, and I don’t care what my friends say, I don’t care what friends I lose, I just want to follow you.”
It felt as though he had been given a warm hug after he prayed. Matt knew God was with him, embracing him, and told him again: “It’s okay, just follow me, I love you.”
Matt: “I just bawled my eyes out, and felt the presence of God, it was so warm.”
“I got on my knees and prayed. I told God I want to give my life to you, I want to follow you, and I don’t care what my friends say, I don’t care what friends I lose, I just want to follow you.”
Matt began volunteering with the middle school boys’ ministry with another Church in town. It was the first step into living the life God wanted him to lead. Matt was beginning his new life following Jesus, but it wouldn’t be easy, especially as he didn’t have any examples from his family to follow.
Over the next two years, Matt’s faith and trust in Jesus grew, and he began to figure out his walk with Him. Whenever life presented challenges, Matt still felt the temptation to turn to his old habits and sins, and there didn’t seem to be a way to escape. Matt first realized that he wouldn’t be able to walk with Christ by relying on himself when he lost his stepmom.
Matt: “I had this dream of her, which haunted me. My stepmom was a loving person, she loved God, and this dream scared me.”
At first, Matt turned to alcohol and sex to process his grief instead of relying on God. He prayed to God for a community to help him stay with God. He knew he was going right back to the sin he had been running from, and that God wanted something different for him. He knew he needed to live his life with a community and that he wouldn’t be able to continue his walk alone.
Matt was able to find a community that he was able to confess his sins to, and they prayed over him. From there, Matt was able to connect with single men close to his age that invited him to a community group started by Tony Mong.
The young men decided to rent a house together for the season of life they were in, and it was everything Matt had prayed for. He was not only walking with a community of Christians, but living every moment with them!
Matt: “It was a better foundation to surround myself with. It was the best blessing I could have asked for.”
Living with his community allowed Matt to sharpen his faith. His selfishness and pride began to fall away, and he was able to live with the Lord and follow His plan. His community was able to pray together and hold each other accountable to living as God designed for the last two years.
It was during this time that Matt decided to be baptized. Matt had been baptized as a baby, but he wanted to profess his faith to all. After his baptism, Matt fought even harder against his sins and temptations and he learned to rely on Jesus through his community that became the true role models that had been lacking in Matt’s life.
Matt: “Having those guys with me to support me, living with them, always just looking to better each other, they were always counseling me biblically, it was always a blessing to have those guys.”
Living with his community helped Matt heal from his sins of drugs, alcohol, women, and people-pleasing. Now 19, Matt had made significant positive changes in his life thanks to his faith and walk with Jesus. He was living with his community, chose to be baptized, and started attending Outpost Church. Through listening to Greg and reading his Bible consistently, he began to build his strong foundation and faith in the Lord. This was one of the most pivotal moments in his faith, because he knew he couldn’t make any more excuses for his sins. Before, Matt would justify his sins, saying, “It’s okay that I slept with this girl, or partied this way, because I was feeling this way.” Now Matt knew that only Jesus could help him turn away from the sins that told the lies of safety and comfort.
Matt: “The biggest step in my walk with Jesus was surrounding myself with my community of Christ-followers.”
Because Matt hadn’t been raised in a Christian home, he felt some bitterness and resentment towards his family. Matt began to share his faith with his family and saw God’s blessings multiply abundantly. Through the sharing of his faith, he was blessed to see his mom, dad, and younger sisters all choose to be baptized. He recognized that God had set him to be the light for his family so they could all grow closer to God and to each other.
It wasn’t until six months ago that Matt realized that he needed to present just as much love towards his family as he showed to others. He knew he felt bitterness and resentment because of the way that he was raised, and that God wanted him to address these feelings with his family so that they might turn towards Jesus as well.
Matt: “I confessed that to my parents and told them, ‘I want to learn how to love you guys the best I can,’”
Matt’s mom embraced God and faith enthusiastically, and his mom and step dad have been on fire for the Lord ever since. They wanted to know everything and address all grievances before the Lord so that their family could move beyond their past and grow in their love for Jesus. Matt was able to remove his pride and love his family the way God intended.
Matt’s family is closer than ever and worships together regularly, including taking communion together once a month.
Matt: “I can share everything Christ is doing in my life, and my mom is calling me all the time now too to share everything that Christ is doing in hers and others’ lives too.
Although Matt has only had 22 years on this earth, his testimony with Jesus serves to reach out and inspire young and old alike. Matt has been redeemed from sexual sin, pride, and resentment. Now Matt is able to serve the Lord, share the gospel, and be an example and light to Cody youth.
Matt has since learned what happened to the four friends he had in Las Vegas as a boy.
Matt: “One of them has passed away due to gun violence, two of them are in prison for murder, and one that is left is living a life of gambling and drugs.”
God rescued Matt from his destructive path and past sins and is using him to teach the youth community in Cody. Matt knows the difference communities with different purposes can have on a person’s life. He started his life with a community that worshiped idols and considered themselves to be a God in their own lives. He has since been able to compare that with his Christian community, which has submitted their lives to Jesus and seen the blessings that come from a life lived with God. He sees the blessings that he has now in his walk with Christ.
Matt: “I live my life for the Lord now. I want Jesus to break my heart for what breaks his. I don’t want to do it to please myself, or my pastor, or my friends around me, I want to do it for the Lord, because of what He’s done for me.”
Matt was also able to track down the officer that preached the gospel to him as a boy in juvenile detention. After a few phone calls, he was able to share with the officer that his preaching to Matt wasn’t in vain, that it started Matt’s turn towards God. That phone call was a blessing to the officer, during a moment when he was feeling doubt in his heart and wasn’t sure if his sharing of the gospel had amounted to any fruit. God knows what we need and cares for us during times of sorrow and stress, and Matt reaching out with his testimony was exactly what the officer needed to continue in his faith and keep up the good fight.
Matt has been able to begin the process of breaking his family’s trajectory and continues to work with Outpost within the middle school boys’ group and Young Life with the high school.
Matt: “I’m excited to break my family’s trajectory, and even though I didn’t start out in a Christian home, I’m excited to start my family that way. Not to please myself, but to please the Lord. I’m excited for whatever Jesus has planned for me.”
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Luke 9:23
Outpost Stories
Matt Sandoval: Putting Away Childish Things
Matt Sandoval grew up knowing there was a God, but without forming any kind of relationship with Jesus. In his early years, he relied on his worldly knowledge and the approval of his friends over God’s will and plan for his life. He sought temporary comfort in his sins of drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality to ease the sorrow in his life. It wasn’t until years into his stubborn sin and pride that the gospel was shared with him and he felt the Holy Spirit speak into his heart. He was urged to set aside his sins and follow Jesus and His Word. Matt’s experiences ultimately brought him to submit to God’s love and will in his life and share God’s light with his family and future generations. Read Matt’s story to see how God’s love and grace redeemed Matt, fostered a heart on fire for Jesus, and multiplied the blessings not only in Matt’s life, but his family’s lives as well.
Read the full story
Matt: “I wasn’t raised in a Christian family. My mom, she believed there was a God, but never was shown by her parents or anyone, how to follow Christ. I grew up in a family that went to church on holidays and at home it was a lot different.”
Matt lacked the firm foundation in childhood that would have taught him to turn to God during times of stress, trouble, and grief. Instead, Matt learned to rely on people he thought had his best interests at heart, and gave him a false sense of love and belonging: his friends at school.
Matt: “Middle school years (in Las Vegas) I was all about my friends. By the age of 12 we were smoking weed, drinking, doing all those things we shouldn’t be doing. I had older cousins and friends, and those were my role models. I wanted to be like them, and hang out with people like them. All we would do is fight, smoke, and do all these horrible things.”
By Matt’s 8th grade year, he had been expelled for having drugs on him at school. Matt’s family decided to make a new start in Cody, Wyoming, in the hopes that a fresh start would turn Matt’s life and choices around. The first years in Cody were difficult; the culture shock of a completely different environment and missing his friends in Las Vegas weighed heavily on Matt. Without God to turn to, Matt sought out the same types of people that would enable his sins and lead him away from God.
Although Matt had been trying to create a new life and reputation in Cody, he kept gravitating towards people who didn't trust in God and encouraged selfish choices. Because Matt didn’t submit to God, he kept falling back on old habits and the lie that his past sins would bring him comfort.
Matt: “I found the wrong kids in Cody and went back to smoking, drinking, sex, and all that high school kids can fall into easily. I kept in contact with my friends in Vegas; I still wanted to be friends with them.”
During Matt’s sophomore year in high school, he went back to Las Vegas during Christmas break to visit family. His mom warned him against visiting his old friends, but Matt refused to listen. He was still more concerned about pleasing his friends and falling back into the false comforts of his old sins.
While he was visiting, his friends decided they wanted to set people up with fancy, designer items, and the best way to gain them would be to steal them. They contacted sellers on social media, and made plans to rob people. Matt witnessed his friends assaulting strangers at gunpoint and thought nothing of the danger. His friends managed to convince Matt that he needed to commit the next theft.
Matt: “I was 15 years old and I pulled a gun out, loaded it, and I pointed it at another man. Luckily, God protected me then because the other guy could have had a gun and shot me, or who knows what could have happened in that situation. I knew it was wrong, but I thought I was the coolest kid ever.”
Matt knew that harming and threatening people was wrong, but he wanted to please and impress his friends. His entire world view placed his value in his friends’ approval, which meant doing whatever they asked him to do.
The third person that Matt and his friends set up to accost turned out to be undercover police officers. The police officers pulled up to Matt and his friends and asked them “Are you (so and so)?”
Matt could tell something was off and told the undercover officers “No.”
Matt: “Next thing I know the doors burst open, cars flooded the street, and I got tackled. I just remember thinking ‘Man, I let everyone down in Cody that saw potential in me; my coaches, my youth pastor, my family.’ I asked myself, “Who am I trying to be?”
Matt was arrested and spent several months in juvenile detention. During his time in juvenile detention, he met a night shift officer who shared the gospel with the boys. One verse stuck out in particular to Matt:
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Matt had a lot of time to think to himself as the boys were kept isolated in juvenile detention. He still didn’t have a relationship with Jesus, but the seeds of faith and growth had been planted. Matt began to think more about his aunt, who had shared the gospel and God with Matt as well.
Matt: “I remember I got a sudden urge to pick up a Bible and start reading.I prayed that night for God to give me a second chance, and instantly I heard him tell me, ‘Trust in me, follow me, and you’ll be okay.’”
From there everything worked out to where Matt needed to be. Matt’s family was able to work things out with the lawyers and courts so he could leave juvenile detention and go to Casper to attend a boys’ home for a few months.
Matt improved his behavior and was able to finish his last years of high school in Cody. Although he had made changes to his behavior and had prayed to God for forgiveness, he still wasn’t pursuing a relationship with Jesus. He still turned to his old sins for comfort instead of relying on God for strength and redemption.
Matt: “I mean, I said I knew, but my family and I still weren’t following Christ. I didn’t have anyone to tell me, ‘Hey, this is how you follow Christ.’”
Matt was still living for himself and looking for approval in others. His changes were all made so people would look at him and think “He’s changed, he’s a good kid.”
During Matt’s senior year of high school, Covid 19 struck and the schools turned to virtual learning. This gave many high schoolers, Matt included, unchecked freedom and isolation. As Matt’s friends in Cody grew older, many of them turned to the sins Matt had struggled with in the past. Matt’s old habits began to surface yet again and he turned to partying, drinking, smoking, and sexual immorality.
Matt’s summer after high school was spent in his old sin, and it wasn’t until August that he realized he would need to make some choices and plans for his future. Matt felt lost without God’s direction. While reflecting on his past, he remembered his juvenile detention officer that shared the gospel with him and the other boys. He decided to attend North West college and take some classes on Criminal Justice. Matt remembered 1 Corinthians 13:11 and asked himself,
Matt: “What kind of man do I want to be for my own kids?”
From there Matt began to focus less on himself and more on God. He recalls one night where he had been partying and drinking, and he remembered the promise he had given to God that he was going to change his life and follow Jesus.
Matt: “I got on my knees and prayed. I told God I want to give my life to you, I want to follow you, and I don’t care what my friends say, I don’t care what friends I lose, I just want to follow you.”
It felt as though he had been given a warm hug after he prayed. Matt knew God was with him, embracing him, and told him again: “It’s okay, just follow me, I love you.”
Matt: “I just bawled my eyes out, and felt the presence of God, it was so warm.”
“I got on my knees and prayed. I told God I want to give my life to you, I want to follow you, and I don’t care what my friends say, I don’t care what friends I lose, I just want to follow you.”
Matt began volunteering with the middle school boys’ ministry with another Church in town. It was the first step into living the life God wanted him to lead. Matt was beginning his new life following Jesus, but it wouldn’t be easy, especially as he didn’t have any examples from his family to follow.
Over the next two years, Matt’s faith and trust in Jesus grew, and he began to figure out his walk with Him. Whenever life presented challenges, Matt still felt the temptation to turn to his old habits and sins, and there didn’t seem to be a way to escape. Matt first realized that he wouldn’t be able to walk with Christ by relying on himself when he lost his stepmom.
Matt: “I had this dream of her, which haunted me. My stepmom was a loving person, she loved God, and this dream scared me.”
At first, Matt turned to alcohol and sex to process his grief instead of relying on God. He prayed to God for a community to help him stay with God. He knew he was going right back to the sin he had been running from, and that God wanted something different for him. He knew he needed to live his life with a community and that he wouldn’t be able to continue his walk alone.
Matt was able to find a community that he was able to confess his sins to, and they prayed over him. From there, Matt was able to connect with single men close to his age that invited him to a community group started by Tony Mong.
The young men decided to rent a house together for the season of life they were in, and it was everything Matt had prayed for. He was not only walking with a community of Christians, but living every moment with them!
Matt: “It was a better foundation to surround myself with. It was the best blessing I could have asked for.”
Living with his community allowed Matt to sharpen his faith. His selfishness and pride began to fall away, and he was able to live with the Lord and follow His plan. His community was able to pray together and hold each other accountable to living as God designed for the last two years.
It was during this time that Matt decided to be baptized. Matt had been baptized as a baby, but he wanted to profess his faith to all. After his baptism, Matt fought even harder against his sins and temptations and he learned to rely on Jesus through his community that became the true role models that had been lacking in Matt’s life.
Matt: “Having those guys with me to support me, living with them, always just looking to better each other, they were always counseling me biblically, it was always a blessing to have those guys.”
Living with his community helped Matt heal from his sins of drugs, alcohol, women, and people-pleasing. Now 19, Matt had made significant positive changes in his life thanks to his faith and walk with Jesus. He was living with his community, chose to be baptized, and started attending Outpost Church. Through listening to Greg and reading his Bible consistently, he began to build his strong foundation and faith in the Lord. This was one of the most pivotal moments in his faith, because he knew he couldn’t make any more excuses for his sins. Before, Matt would justify his sins, saying, “It’s okay that I slept with this girl, or partied this way, because I was feeling this way.” Now Matt knew that only Jesus could help him turn away from the sins that told the lies of safety and comfort.
Matt: “The biggest step in my walk with Jesus was surrounding myself with my community of Christ-followers.”
Because Matt hadn’t been raised in a Christian home, he felt some bitterness and resentment towards his family. Matt began to share his faith with his family and saw God’s blessings multiply abundantly. Through the sharing of his faith, he was blessed to see his mom, dad, and younger sisters all choose to be baptized. He recognized that God had set him to be the light for his family so they could all grow closer to God and to each other.
It wasn’t until six months ago that Matt realized that he needed to present just as much love towards his family as he showed to others. He knew he felt bitterness and resentment because of the way that he was raised, and that God wanted him to address these feelings with his family so that they might turn towards Jesus as well.
Matt: “I confessed that to my parents and told them, ‘I want to learn how to love you guys the best I can,’”
Matt’s mom embraced God and faith enthusiastically, and his mom and step dad have been on fire for the Lord ever since. They wanted to know everything and address all grievances before the Lord so that their family could move beyond their past and grow in their love for Jesus. Matt was able to remove his pride and love his family the way God intended.
Matt’s family is closer than ever and worships together regularly, including taking communion together once a month.
Matt: “I can share everything Christ is doing in my life, and my mom is calling me all the time now too to share everything that Christ is doing in hers and others’ lives too.
Although Matt has only had 22 years on this earth, his testimony with Jesus serves to reach out and inspire young and old alike. Matt has been redeemed from sexual sin, pride, and resentment. Now Matt is able to serve the Lord, share the gospel, and be an example and light to Cody youth.
Matt has since learned what happened to the four friends he had in Las Vegas as a boy.
Matt: “One of them has passed away due to gun violence, two of them are in prison for murder, and one that is left is living a life of gambling and drugs.”
God rescued Matt from his destructive path and past sins and is using him to teach the youth community in Cody. Matt knows the difference communities with different purposes can have on a person’s life. He started his life with a community that worshiped idols and considered themselves to be a God in their own lives. He has since been able to compare that with his Christian community, which has submitted their lives to Jesus and seen the blessings that come from a life lived with God. He sees the blessings that he has now in his walk with Christ.
Matt: “I live my life for the Lord now. I want Jesus to break my heart for what breaks his. I don’t want to do it to please myself, or my pastor, or my friends around me, I want to do it for the Lord, because of what He’s done for me.”
Matt was also able to track down the officer that preached the gospel to him as a boy in juvenile detention. After a few phone calls, he was able to share with the officer that his preaching to Matt wasn’t in vain, that it started Matt’s turn towards God. That phone call was a blessing to the officer, during a moment when he was feeling doubt in his heart and wasn’t sure if his sharing of the gospel had amounted to any fruit. God knows what we need and cares for us during times of sorrow and stress, and Matt reaching out with his testimony was exactly what the officer needed to continue in his faith and keep up the good fight.
Matt has been able to begin the process of breaking his family’s trajectory and continues to work with Outpost within the middle school boys’ group and Young Life with the high school.
Matt: “I’m excited to break my family’s trajectory, and even though I didn’t start out in a Christian home, I’m excited to start my family that way. Not to please myself, but to please the Lord. I’m excited for whatever Jesus has planned for me.”
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Luke 9:23
Outpost Stories
Matt Sandoval: Putting Away Childish Things
Matt Sandoval grew up knowing there was a God, but without forming any kind of relationship with Jesus. In his early years, he relied on his worldly knowledge and the approval of his friends over God’s will and plan for his life. He sought temporary comfort in his sins of drugs, alcohol, and sexual immorality to ease the sorrow in his life. It wasn’t until years into his stubborn sin and pride that the gospel was shared with him and he felt the Holy Spirit speak into his heart. He was urged to set aside his sins and follow Jesus and His Word. Matt’s experiences ultimately brought him to submit to God’s love and will in his life and share God’s light with his family and future generations. Read Matt’s story to see how God’s love and grace redeemed Matt, fostered a heart on fire for Jesus, and multiplied the blessings not only in Matt’s life, but his family’s lives as well.
Read the full story
Matt: “I wasn’t raised in a Christian family. My mom, she believed there was a God, but never was shown by her parents or anyone, how to follow Christ. I grew up in a family that went to church on holidays and at home it was a lot different.”
Matt lacked the firm foundation in childhood that would have taught him to turn to God during times of stress, trouble, and grief. Instead, Matt learned to rely on people he thought had his best interests at heart, and gave him a false sense of love and belonging: his friends at school.
Matt: “Middle school years (in Las Vegas) I was all about my friends. By the age of 12 we were smoking weed, drinking, doing all those things we shouldn’t be doing. I had older cousins and friends, and those were my role models. I wanted to be like them, and hang out with people like them. All we would do is fight, smoke, and do all these horrible things.”
By Matt’s 8th grade year, he had been expelled for having drugs on him at school. Matt’s family decided to make a new start in Cody, Wyoming, in the hopes that a fresh start would turn Matt’s life and choices around. The first years in Cody were difficult; the culture shock of a completely different environment and missing his friends in Las Vegas weighed heavily on Matt. Without God to turn to, Matt sought out the same types of people that would enable his sins and lead him away from God.
Although Matt had been trying to create a new life and reputation in Cody, he kept gravitating towards people who didn't trust in God and encouraged selfish choices. Because Matt didn’t submit to God, he kept falling back on old habits and the lie that his past sins would bring him comfort.
Matt: “I found the wrong kids in Cody and went back to smoking, drinking, sex, and all that high school kids can fall into easily. I kept in contact with my friends in Vegas; I still wanted to be friends with them.”
During Matt’s sophomore year in high school, he went back to Las Vegas during Christmas break to visit family. His mom warned him against visiting his old friends, but Matt refused to listen. He was still more concerned about pleasing his friends and falling back into the false comforts of his old sins.
While he was visiting, his friends decided they wanted to set people up with fancy, designer items, and the best way to gain them would be to steal them. They contacted sellers on social media, and made plans to rob people. Matt witnessed his friends assaulting strangers at gunpoint and thought nothing of the danger. His friends managed to convince Matt that he needed to commit the next theft.
Matt: “I was 15 years old and I pulled a gun out, loaded it, and I pointed it at another man. Luckily, God protected me then because the other guy could have had a gun and shot me, or who knows what could have happened in that situation. I knew it was wrong, but I thought I was the coolest kid ever.”
Matt knew that harming and threatening people was wrong, but he wanted to please and impress his friends. His entire world view placed his value in his friends’ approval, which meant doing whatever they asked him to do.
The third person that Matt and his friends set up to accost turned out to be undercover police officers. The police officers pulled up to Matt and his friends and asked them “Are you (so and so)?”
Matt could tell something was off and told the undercover officers “No.”
Matt: “Next thing I know the doors burst open, cars flooded the street, and I got tackled. I just remember thinking ‘Man, I let everyone down in Cody that saw potential in me; my coaches, my youth pastor, my family.’ I asked myself, “Who am I trying to be?”
Matt was arrested and spent several months in juvenile detention. During his time in juvenile detention, he met a night shift officer who shared the gospel with the boys. One verse stuck out in particular to Matt:
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
Matt had a lot of time to think to himself as the boys were kept isolated in juvenile detention. He still didn’t have a relationship with Jesus, but the seeds of faith and growth had been planted. Matt began to think more about his aunt, who had shared the gospel and God with Matt as well.
Matt: “I remember I got a sudden urge to pick up a Bible and start reading.I prayed that night for God to give me a second chance, and instantly I heard him tell me, ‘Trust in me, follow me, and you’ll be okay.’”
From there everything worked out to where Matt needed to be. Matt’s family was able to work things out with the lawyers and courts so he could leave juvenile detention and go to Casper to attend a boys’ home for a few months.
Matt improved his behavior and was able to finish his last years of high school in Cody. Although he had made changes to his behavior and had prayed to God for forgiveness, he still wasn’t pursuing a relationship with Jesus. He still turned to his old sins for comfort instead of relying on God for strength and redemption.
Matt: “I mean, I said I knew, but my family and I still weren’t following Christ. I didn’t have anyone to tell me, ‘Hey, this is how you follow Christ.’”
Matt was still living for himself and looking for approval in others. His changes were all made so people would look at him and think “He’s changed, he’s a good kid.”
During Matt’s senior year of high school, Covid 19 struck and the schools turned to virtual learning. This gave many high schoolers, Matt included, unchecked freedom and isolation. As Matt’s friends in Cody grew older, many of them turned to the sins Matt had struggled with in the past. Matt’s old habits began to surface yet again and he turned to partying, drinking, smoking, and sexual immorality.
Matt’s summer after high school was spent in his old sin, and it wasn’t until August that he realized he would need to make some choices and plans for his future. Matt felt lost without God’s direction. While reflecting on his past, he remembered his juvenile detention officer that shared the gospel with him and the other boys. He decided to attend North West college and take some classes on Criminal Justice. Matt remembered 1 Corinthians 13:11 and asked himself,
Matt: “What kind of man do I want to be for my own kids?”
From there Matt began to focus less on himself and more on God. He recalls one night where he had been partying and drinking, and he remembered the promise he had given to God that he was going to change his life and follow Jesus.
Matt: “I got on my knees and prayed. I told God I want to give my life to you, I want to follow you, and I don’t care what my friends say, I don’t care what friends I lose, I just want to follow you.”
It felt as though he had been given a warm hug after he prayed. Matt knew God was with him, embracing him, and told him again: “It’s okay, just follow me, I love you.”
Matt: “I just bawled my eyes out, and felt the presence of God, it was so warm.”
“I got on my knees and prayed. I told God I want to give my life to you, I want to follow you, and I don’t care what my friends say, I don’t care what friends I lose, I just want to follow you.”
Matt began volunteering with the middle school boys’ ministry with another Church in town. It was the first step into living the life God wanted him to lead. Matt was beginning his new life following Jesus, but it wouldn’t be easy, especially as he didn’t have any examples from his family to follow.
Over the next two years, Matt’s faith and trust in Jesus grew, and he began to figure out his walk with Him. Whenever life presented challenges, Matt still felt the temptation to turn to his old habits and sins, and there didn’t seem to be a way to escape. Matt first realized that he wouldn’t be able to walk with Christ by relying on himself when he lost his stepmom.
Matt: “I had this dream of her, which haunted me. My stepmom was a loving person, she loved God, and this dream scared me.”
At first, Matt turned to alcohol and sex to process his grief instead of relying on God. He prayed to God for a community to help him stay with God. He knew he was going right back to the sin he had been running from, and that God wanted something different for him. He knew he needed to live his life with a community and that he wouldn’t be able to continue his walk alone.
Matt was able to find a community that he was able to confess his sins to, and they prayed over him. From there, Matt was able to connect with single men close to his age that invited him to a community group started by Tony Mong.
The young men decided to rent a house together for the season of life they were in, and it was everything Matt had prayed for. He was not only walking with a community of Christians, but living every moment with them!
Matt: “It was a better foundation to surround myself with. It was the best blessing I could have asked for.”
Living with his community allowed Matt to sharpen his faith. His selfishness and pride began to fall away, and he was able to live with the Lord and follow His plan. His community was able to pray together and hold each other accountable to living as God designed for the last two years.
It was during this time that Matt decided to be baptized. Matt had been baptized as a baby, but he wanted to profess his faith to all. After his baptism, Matt fought even harder against his sins and temptations and he learned to rely on Jesus through his community that became the true role models that had been lacking in Matt’s life.
Matt: “Having those guys with me to support me, living with them, always just looking to better each other, they were always counseling me biblically, it was always a blessing to have those guys.”
Living with his community helped Matt heal from his sins of drugs, alcohol, women, and people-pleasing. Now 19, Matt had made significant positive changes in his life thanks to his faith and walk with Jesus. He was living with his community, chose to be baptized, and started attending Outpost Church. Through listening to Greg and reading his Bible consistently, he began to build his strong foundation and faith in the Lord. This was one of the most pivotal moments in his faith, because he knew he couldn’t make any more excuses for his sins. Before, Matt would justify his sins, saying, “It’s okay that I slept with this girl, or partied this way, because I was feeling this way.” Now Matt knew that only Jesus could help him turn away from the sins that told the lies of safety and comfort.
Matt: “The biggest step in my walk with Jesus was surrounding myself with my community of Christ-followers.”
Because Matt hadn’t been raised in a Christian home, he felt some bitterness and resentment towards his family. Matt began to share his faith with his family and saw God’s blessings multiply abundantly. Through the sharing of his faith, he was blessed to see his mom, dad, and younger sisters all choose to be baptized. He recognized that God had set him to be the light for his family so they could all grow closer to God and to each other.
It wasn’t until six months ago that Matt realized that he needed to present just as much love towards his family as he showed to others. He knew he felt bitterness and resentment because of the way that he was raised, and that God wanted him to address these feelings with his family so that they might turn towards Jesus as well.
Matt: “I confessed that to my parents and told them, ‘I want to learn how to love you guys the best I can,’”
Matt’s mom embraced God and faith enthusiastically, and his mom and step dad have been on fire for the Lord ever since. They wanted to know everything and address all grievances before the Lord so that their family could move beyond their past and grow in their love for Jesus. Matt was able to remove his pride and love his family the way God intended.
Matt’s family is closer than ever and worships together regularly, including taking communion together once a month.
Matt: “I can share everything Christ is doing in my life, and my mom is calling me all the time now too to share everything that Christ is doing in hers and others’ lives too.
Although Matt has only had 22 years on this earth, his testimony with Jesus serves to reach out and inspire young and old alike. Matt has been redeemed from sexual sin, pride, and resentment. Now Matt is able to serve the Lord, share the gospel, and be an example and light to Cody youth.
Matt has since learned what happened to the four friends he had in Las Vegas as a boy.
Matt: “One of them has passed away due to gun violence, two of them are in prison for murder, and one that is left is living a life of gambling and drugs.”
God rescued Matt from his destructive path and past sins and is using him to teach the youth community in Cody. Matt knows the difference communities with different purposes can have on a person’s life. He started his life with a community that worshiped idols and considered themselves to be a God in their own lives. He has since been able to compare that with his Christian community, which has submitted their lives to Jesus and seen the blessings that come from a life lived with God. He sees the blessings that he has now in his walk with Christ.
Matt: “I live my life for the Lord now. I want Jesus to break my heart for what breaks his. I don’t want to do it to please myself, or my pastor, or my friends around me, I want to do it for the Lord, because of what He’s done for me.”
Matt was also able to track down the officer that preached the gospel to him as a boy in juvenile detention. After a few phone calls, he was able to share with the officer that his preaching to Matt wasn’t in vain, that it started Matt’s turn towards God. That phone call was a blessing to the officer, during a moment when he was feeling doubt in his heart and wasn’t sure if his sharing of the gospel had amounted to any fruit. God knows what we need and cares for us during times of sorrow and stress, and Matt reaching out with his testimony was exactly what the officer needed to continue in his faith and keep up the good fight.
Matt has been able to begin the process of breaking his family’s trajectory and continues to work with Outpost within the middle school boys’ group and Young Life with the high school.
Matt: “I’m excited to break my family’s trajectory, and even though I didn’t start out in a Christian home, I’m excited to start my family that way. Not to please myself, but to please the Lord. I’m excited for whatever Jesus has planned for me.”
"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
Luke 9:23