Mo grew up in “The Bottoms” – a neighbourhood in Columbus, Ohio, USA, originally named because of its lower elevation. The name has stuck, however, due to the crime rate in the area.
Mo lived with his grandmother from a young age because his mother was a drug addict; he didn’t know his father. Too poor for school supplies and shoes and other things that young people his age were accustomed to, Mo was eager to become old enough to get a job, so he could move back with his mother – which he did. Things became difficult, however, as she began turning to him for money to support her crack cocaine habit.
Mo became a Christian at the start of middle school. He says, “YFC changed my life a lot…opened my eyes to what’s really real.” He credits Youth for Christ with helping him learn about God and challenging him to “step up to the plate.”
Now an intern with Youth for Christ’s “City Life” program, Mo acknowledges that there are too many young people like he was at their age – lacking fathers and good role models. He has decided to be one of those role models, to love them and be there for them. Mo wants to do youth ministry to help young people learn the Bible, because that’s what helped him. In addition to hoping he can help young people become better Christians and walk with the Lord, Mo says, “I want to see kids around here go to heaven with me.”