Following in his father’s footsteps, Mel Trotter became a hopeless alcoholic by the age of twenty. Despite his mother’s godly example, the influence of his father’s saloon and drinking proved to be a temptation too powerful for the young man to overcome in his own strength.

 

Although Trotter would marry and have a son, his drinking problem persisted. In spite of his best efforts to stop drinking, he would always fail again miserably and go on another drinking binge. His family often suffered from lack of necessities as a result of his addiction. Trotter once sold his family’s horse and buggy to support his obsession. After one ten-day drinking spree, he returned home to find his two-year-old son dead in his mother’s arms. Despondent and penniless, he vowed to his wife never to touch another drop of liquor. But, only two hours later, he returned home drunk again.

 

He left home for Chicago, but his drinking continued. He even sold his shoes in winter to buy liquor. Contemplating suicide, Trotter started walking toward the freezing waters of Lake Michigan, where he intended to plunge in and drown himself. Along his path, he passed the Pacific Garden Rescue Mission where he was pulled inside to hear the meeting that was in progress. Harry Monroe, who was the superintendent of the mission and a converted alcoholic himself, was giving his testimony of conversion and deliverance from alcoholism. At the invitation Trotter came forward and was converted. After gaining complete victory through Christ over his addiction, he chose II Corinthians 5:17 as his favorite verse: “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.” He was indeed a new creature, and he immediately started assisting Monroe in the work of the Chicago mission.

 

In 1900 Trotter was asked to supervise a new rescue mission established in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This mission would eventually expand to support 750 men. As superintendent for the next 40 years, he saw many great victories, such as having an adjacent saloon close its doors due to lack of business. In conjunction with that work, he also helped to found at least 67 other rescue missions across the nation.

 

Many desired to hear Trotter’s powerful testimony, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to be asked to fill in for R. A. Torrey and Billy Sunday during their revival campaigns. Suffering from cancer, Trotter last preached at the Grand Rapids Mission on its 40th anniversary in January 1940.