January 2013 Newsletter

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Back To Work Again

Jason had a well paying job at a specialty manufacturing facility. The company was expanding and he was a supervisor training new employees. The future looked bright and promising. Then the unexpected happened; the company went bankrupt and closed down. When his unemployment benefits ran out, he lived on his savings, until they too were gone. He had no friends in a situation that could board him. Jason’s parents, being in a tight financial spot of their own, left to drive a long haul truck. Hello homelessness!

Jason had never been to a mission before and did not know what to expect or even where exactly to go. His first contact was in our kitchen that he wandered into. He said the guys were friendly, explained how the Mission works and comforted him by saying, “You don’t need to be nervous, this is a really great place.” Jason said, “I never felt scared. That first night here, I laid in bed, took in my surroundings and knew I was in a safe place. Nothing was going to happen to me here. There are a lot of great guys here that just have a physical ailment or whatever. This has opened my eyes to the homeless community and their situation. I had that stereotyped thought of what a homeless person is like. Now I have more compassion and understanding.”

After just a few days, Jason joined our New Life Program. He kept busy here while continuing to look for employment. On the program, he was a cook. His only cooking experience had been at home. He said he just needed to find all the pans and utensils in the kitchen, after that it was second nature. He went to Bible study classes, addiction recovery (he has no drug or alcohol issues) and life skills classes. As a child he went to after school Bible studies and was baptized at fifth-grade church camp. As an adult he went to Bible college for a while, majoring in psychology with the idea of helping people. He said the Mission is a “refreshing atmosphere where I reconnected with God and gained a burning desire to have a closer relationship with the Lord.” He has new Christian friends that encourage each other, study together and joined a local church together.

Three months of Mission life later, Jason landed a job. He had gone directly there shortly after arriving at the Mission. Someone quit, the job opened and Jason was qualified. It’s in the same specialty manufacturing field he was in before, no doubt making some product his previous employer would have made. He said, “It’s a good paying job, not as much as my last job, but it’s nice to have an income again. It’s a blessing.”

The Mission has truly been “A Beacon of Hope for the Homeless” to Jason, giving him opportunity, encouragement, insight, fellowship and a rekindled faith in the Lord.