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  • May 22, 2025
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From the Firehall to Faith: David’s Story

“Imagine if every time a fire truck pulled up on scene, there was a Christian on board praying over the situation.”

I was really little when I knew I wanted to become a firefighter. My oldest brother’s a firefighter in Edmonton, so when I saw him, I just thought, “That’s what I want to do!” And then, after university, I just got into it. I’ve been doing it for about 12 years now, and I wouldn’t want any other job.

I’m from Calgary. I was raised as a Christian, and I gave my heart to the Lord when I was 3 or 4 years old. I’ve also given my heart to the Lord many other times after that. Whenever it was asked, ‘Who would like to pray and give their heart to the Lord?’ I prayed all the time, just to be sure.

I always knew that God was real and true, and I believed it. However, I didn’t always walk in my faith like I should have. After university, when I moved back home, I was part of an “Athletes in Action” Bible Study with some guys I had known from high school. They invited me to be part of that, and a lot of those guys I met there are still my closest buddies. 

During that time, around age 22 to 25, I really made my faith my own. I learned what my personal relationship with God looked like. I talked to Him and I learned how we communicate. It truly is a personal relationship! We all talk to Him differently. We all hear from Him differently. We all have our own way. 

I’ve worked alongside my captain, Al, for almost 10 years now. He’s always been a great guy, but he wasn’t a Christian when we met. So over the years, my wife Alyssa and I prayed for him. A few years ago, he gave his heart to the Lord. That was something my wife and I had been praying for, for years! He even started coming to FAC. I told Pastor Cory about Al and his walk. Cory said, “I would really encourage you to do Alpha with him.”

Then, within a few weeks, Al asked me, “Hey, would you be interested in doing Alpha with me? I want to go, but I don’t want to go alone.” And I was like, “Yeah, absolutely.” So we did that in the Fall of 2024. After each session at Alpha, he would always joke, “Hey, thanks for being one of the hosts tonight.”

After we completed Alpha, I just kept thinking that it would be great for firefighters to do this. So one day, I prayed about it and told my wife. Alyssa was quiet at first, but later came to me and said she had been praying for years for me to step into a leadership role. She said, “Yeah, I think that’s a big commitment, but I think it’s a good one.”

So I was at Al’s place one day, having coffee, and I said to him, “I think I want to [run an Alpha].” And he was like, “I was just going to tell you today; I think you should do an Alpha with just firefighters!” So, between him and two other guys, we made a list of guys we thought would be interested. The names that overlapped became our group—12 firefighters, me and Al included, and one Calgary police officer.

I called them all one day when I knew we’d be on shift together. When I extended the invitation, I made it clear that I didn’t want it to be a casual thing. I told them, “This isn’t just a ‘Yeah, I’ll come out and see if I can stop by.’ I need a 12-week commitment. I need an actual commitment from you.” Some guys didn’t even know what it was about and said, “Yeah, I’m in” as soon as I told them who else was on the list. Some guys wanted to think about it, but within a couple of days, they were in. 

I’d worked with almost all of them for the last 12 years. All of them were senior to me and had worked together longer than I had worked with them. It was always a group I looked up to. I’d had different kinds of mentorship moments with each one of them. Something that Alyssa said that stuck with me when we went through these names was that these guys were “set apart.” They’re not just random guys on the job—they’re the kind of people whose name makes everyone say, ‘That’s a good guy.'”

On the first day our Alpha group met, I mentioned how Alyssa had said they were “set apart,” and one of the guys commented on how excited they were. One even joked, “I didn’t even care if we were going to do bad things, I’d still be in.” But the fact that we were doing a Bible study? Even better.

We met in our basement, which has its own stories. Weeks prior, I had just finished setting up the TV, the rug and the couches in this particular corner of the room. Everything was ready to go. We even had a big poster on the wall that we made. Then, there was a flood the week before we started. 

The Alpha poster we created uses a photo from a fire we responded to – I am on the far right

I had asked our daughter, “Did you spill water on the floor?” And she said, “No, daddy.” When Alyssa came downstairs and saw the leak, she instantly started praying. She prayed over the exact corner of the room because it was abundantly clear that the enemy did not want this group to happen.

We also had some illness in the family right at that same time. There were a number of these obstacles that kept coming up. The guys were like, “Well, you know, if we need to postpone it, it’s not a big deal.” But Alyssa and I weren’t going to risk pushing the start date back, especially when we received the commitment from the guys. Within a few days, we had it all fixed up, and we were good to go. We weren’t going to let anything hinder what we knew God called us to do.

From the beginning, we made it clear: there was no expectation, no pressure, and no judgment. That made a difference. Once they entered the space we’d set up, knowing there was no judgment, that they were forgiven, and that they could talk freely without condemnation, they began to open up. I won’t go into detail—because they’re still strong firemen—but they used to joke, “Are you guys storing onions in your basement?” 

It was powerful to see how quickly they responded to being in a judgment-free space. The guys said, “We needed this.” Because we were all first responders. We’ve all seen the worst things. One of the big questions was, “Why would we want to be part of a God who allows that to happen?”

A common misunderstanding was that we have to do something to earn God’s approval—that our works save us. But we talked a lot about how our works and fruit are the result of grace and salvation, not the cause. Learning that we don’t have to earn it; we just accept the gift.

And when we sin again, which we will, we’re still forgiven. It’s about continually seeking Him and the renewing of our minds every day. It’s not “do this to get that.” It’s “accept Jesus’ death on the cross and be forgiven,” and then move forward from there. We had to break down that barrier of misinformation. Once that message became clear, their walls just came down.

One of the guys had no relationship with faith at all, no understanding, or knowledge. After just a few weeks of talking outside of Alpha in the halls, he made the decision to accept Jesus on the Holy Spirit weekend retreat, which we hosted in our basement. 

We celebrated three guys giving their hearts to the Lord. A couple of them had maybe considered themselves spiritual—grew up Catholic or had some knowledge of God—but the Alpha course and our discussions helped change their whole perspective on what faith really is. They realized, “Yeah, this is actually what we want to be part of.”

And even the guys who were still questioning began to feel something they never expected. They’d say things like, “Okay, I actually do feel God trying to get to me… I just never expected this, and I’m not there yet,” and we appreciated their honesty.

At the end of the Alpha course, we reached out to some people and made an encouragement video with messages from the national director from Alpha, an ex-paratrooper in the States, a PhD scientist who does apologetics, and Pastor James Paton from FAC. They all sent video messages to encourage the guys.

What was so God-inspired is that every one of them said the same thing: Continue to pray. That became the key takeaway. And that’s my encouragement too. If you’re thinking about starting Alpha or a Bible study, don’t go before God—go to Him first. For me, I listen for God’s voice, and I also listen to confirmation from others. So if I’m praying and someone else says, “I’ve been praying too, and here’s what I’m hearing”—and those messages align—then I know I’m on the right path.

Encouraging people to join Alpha is like encouraging them in any other decision—don’t rush it.  Keep praying. Keep reading your Bible. Pray. Listen. Obey.

There were times when conversations were smooth and others that were a bit challenging. Sometimes I caught myself pushing too hard, trying to reason with someone. And then I’d remember to pray and that God’s doing the work, not me. I’m just a vessel. I can let Him use me. A lot of times, when guys push back, often, there is no need to argue; they just need to get it out. I can just let them speak and let them express themselves. 

One thing we talked about was what we do before an emergency call. I’ve made it a habit to pray: God, protect my eyes from what I’m about to see. Protect my heart so I don’t carry it home. Help me bring my skills to the forefront—let that muscle memory kick in so I can do what needs to be done. And now, more guys are saying they do the same, and that moved my heart.

Some of the guys shared with me that over the last 10 years, they’d watched me in the firehall and said, “You’ve been so consistent with your character, with your faith.” For a couple of them, that really mattered. It was like, “Yeah, if that’s how you live and it’s because of this, well then… let’s know more.”

So it actually took years. It took all those years of working together before they were even open to doing it. It reminded me that living out your faith with integrity—even when you think no one is paying attention—can speak louder than words and open doors you never expected.

As these guys gave their hearts to the Lord, we started imagining—what if every time a fire truck pulled up to a scene, there was a Christian on board, praying over the situation? A comment made that stood out was, “We’re watching our department change before our eyes.”

 

Thank you, David, for sharing your story! We’re grateful for the glimpse into how God is moving through fire halls, basements, and the lives of first responders!

What’s your story? If you’d like to share how Jesus is renewing you, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Angel Castillo to learn more.

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