November 2018 Newsletter

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Hope For A Future

Christopher has had no communication with his parents or sisters in 15 years. He was alone in the world, disconnected, disenfranchised. He has had issues with loneliness, depression, motivation. He as a work ethic, but needed purpose. Identity and direction were lacking. Such a void will be filled. So he tried stuffing things into the emptiness. One year of college general education did not result in finding any area of interest. For six years, he worked in a newspaper packaging center, placing inserts, typing bundles, loading trucks. For five years, he earned a living at a powder coating company, painting metal parts. In 2010, he was laid off and became a casualty of the economic recession. Unemployment benefits were extended for two years and abused. Christopher afforded a room in a seedy motel, that included new friends coping with life through addictions. He joined them, became one of them. He said, “You could knock on any door and buy anything you wanted. It was pretty bad. Ever since then, I have been dealing with homelessness and a lack of work. Its my own bad decisions, not trying hard enough to get back on my feet, angry, bitter, drugs, alcohol. I wasn’t facing my problems.” He quit several minimum wage jobs and moved out of several living arrangements just to get away from corrupt environments.

Homeless and jobless, Christopher moved into the Roseburg Rescue Mission. Here, he found surroundings that held him and others accountable for their behaviors and habits. In his time here, he has benefited from being in all three of our programs for men: transient guest dormitory, New Life Program, and Transitional Housing Program. With the foundation of living in our dormitory, he got a job at a gas station-convenience store. Then he moved out of the Mission, renting a room from a person renting a house, that turned out to be a drug house. Christopher was again in a bad living arrangement, and his job was not dependable for enough income. Service industry employers have a dilemma between a high employee turnover rate and causing that very problem by not giving employees enough hours to live on.

Back to the Mission, he joined our New Life Program. During that first month, he was in the Pipeline phase, meaning he had all Program privileges and work duties but not in the classes yet. It was during this introductory time that Christopher said this prayer of repentance, “I just can’t do this on my own anymore. I’m tired of making mistakes, tired of regret and remorse in my life for the ones I have hurt. I want to start a new chapter with You at the helm. I’m tired of my sins.” Then he said, “I wanted to stay in one spot, evaluate what I was doing wrong, get closer to God. I felt God nudging at me. I thought the Program would fill those needs. I worked in the Thrift Store. It gave me confidence in myself and job skills. I learned how to deal with people better. Bible classes gave me definition of the Word. Life Skills taught me how to apply lessons in life. Genesis Process (addiction recovery) is very personal, makes you look back in your life at all the things that led you to where you are.” After 7 months in a 12 month program, he felt ready to get a job outside the Mission. He applied directly to a retail store and landed the job a month later.

After six weeks of employment, his name rose to the top of the waiting list for a rental room in our Transitional Housing Program. There is still accountability, chapel, curfew, meals, and affordable housing. Christopher said, “I found myself again with the help of the Program. I changed bad habits into good habits.” Then he quoted,

Christopher was rescued, then equipped to navigate around the temptations in life. He learned that it is actually easier and more desirable to submit to the Lord and His Way, than to live in self-centered rebellion. Now he has a relationship with the Lord, trustworthy friends, stable employment, secure housing, and hope for a future.