Finding True Fulfillment
Before arriving at Wheeler Mission, Cohl’s life looked, from the outside, like a success story. At just 32, he was married, running his own business, and raising a beautiful little girl. He had what many people dream of: financial security, opportunity, and a loving family. Yet, as he describes it, “I had everything—and nothing.”
Raised in privilege, Cohl’s childhood was full of abundance—private schools, family businesses, vacations, and even private jets. But beneath the surface, he struggled with emptiness and loneliness. He noticed early on that material possessions and worldly success did not equal true joy. “You can still have everything,” he said, “but have nothing. It’s a dangerous spot to be in.”
“This place teaches men to find the Lord and be grateful for the smallest things. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Driven by pride and a need to outdo the generations before him, Cohl built a business and tried to prove himself. He achieved much, but the void inside never closed. Despite having a supportive wife and a baby daughter, he turned to drugs to fill the emptiness.
“It’s horrible to say, but I didn’t really use drugs until after my daughter was born,” he admitted. “I had everything I wanted, but I was broken inside. I needed something to make me feel normal, to feel happy. What I thought looked fun in movies led me to destruction.”
His pride, addictions, and wrong choices eventually caught up with him, and life spiraled downward. “On the outside it looked like I had everything figured out,” Cohl shared. “But on the inside I was completely lost.”
When Cohl arrived at Camp Hunt, he brought his pride with him. “The first few days were rough. I thought I was better than this,” he admitted. But through daily Bible study, prayer, and serving others, his perspective began to shift.
He remembers the humbling moment of being asked to clean toilets—something that clashed with his former life of privilege. “I had a cleaning lady at home, and here I was scrubbing bathrooms,” he said. “But that’s when I started to realize—if anybody was sick, I was probably the sickest person here.”
During those early nights, cut off from his wife and daughter, he cried himself to sleep. Yet those were also the nights he began to truly pray—for the first time with sincerity. “Before, my prayers were just, ‘get me out of this mess,’” he said. “Now, I actually meant what I was saying.”
As Cohl settled into the program, his heart began to soften. “I love people more now—for who they are. Before, I was critical and prideful. Now, I want to help others.”
Through Scripture, community, and accountability, he has come to know God personally. “I know He loves me. I know Jesus Christ loves me. And through Him, I can get to the Father. That’s what I’ve been learning.”
Even his family relationships have been restored and strengthened. “When my wife and daughter visit on Saturdays, the five hours we spend together now mean more than seven days a week used to. That’s because of God.”
Today, Cohl is nearing the end of the program. He serves as a dorm monitor and maintenance crew leader at Camp Hunt, responsibilities that remind him of running his own business. More importantly, they remind him that leadership is about serving others.
When asked about his future, Cohl is hopeful. “I’m going back to my wife and daughter, praise the Lord. She had every reason to leave me, but she’s a God-fearing woman. I’ll go back to my business, but most importantly, I’ll go back as a man of God. That makes being a husband and father so much easier.”
Watch Cohl’s story here: Watch Video
