September 2020 Newsletter

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It Gave Me The Confidence

Allen said that for him, “The Program was mainly structure. I had a job, a schedule of something to do to occupy my brain to focus on and not on drugs. And it worked. If I kept doing what I wanted to do, I would end up homeless on the street. I see a lot of pain and being stagnant. I hoped to get out of drugs.” When Allen was 24-years-old, he was impacted by the death of his father from cancer. He said, “I was holding his hand when he passed, and I felt the life leave his body. I did not want to feel certain emotions. I looked at him and thought of myself dying.” At that point, Allen started to use meth and heroin.

Having a work ethic has not been a problem for him. At 16, he worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher and prep cook. He has done yard and residential maintenance. For five years, he worked in a print shop. Then he said, “I burned all my bridges with my drug problem, missing too many workdays. I decided to do what somebody else wanted me to do, with the hope of getting clean.”

Allen especially likes Scripture verses about being still and listening for the Word of the Lord. It is the opposite of worldly drugs that block out the Lord. He said, “Staying clean and in touch with the Lord is more important. I have been knocked down, so I’m no longer number one.” He went forward at a church alter call when he was 13-years-old and made a prayer of salvation. Now, he attends a local church.

On our Program, Allen worked in the maintenance department and bike shop. He said, “I really enjoyed it, because I like working with my hands. If I can be a bike mechanic and do maintenance, it gave me the confidence, that if I can handle this load, I can handle a college load.” A couple of Mission staff members encouraged him to go to UCC. Allen chose their automotive degree. After completing his first year of college, he received an “Outstanding Student” award for personal improvement.

We are expanding our Mission Bike Shop, and Allen wants to help. He knows from personal experience the loss of his Driver’s License. He had a minor fender bender five years ago, did not notify the DMV, and could not pay the fee. He has been an active cyclist since. He likes moving the bike shop into our Furniture Store for convenience and putting a spotlight on it. He said that because of the virus, “One of the things we can still do is go out and ride a bike.”