Reuben’s Story
“By the age of thirteen, I had already committed seven felonies. However, my mom—the best mom in the world—showered me with unconditional love. She would discipline and threaten me, but I knew how to get my way and did just that! When she died, I had nothing to live for. So, I took drugs to take the feelings of hopelessness away.
I spent some time in jail, and when I got out, I lived on the streets. I knew about the Christian Aid Center, but I was too stubborn to really ask for help. I would come in once in a while for a meal, but mostly I slept under a bridge and kept to myself.
One day, in Pioneer Park, I knelt down in the gazebo and asked Jesus to help me. The very next day, I went to the Center for dinner and met a man who told me about the recovery program. I thought I would never be accepted … that I was past saving. But I was wrong. The staff and the volunteers reached out with open arms.
The time I spent in the program were two of the happiest years of my life. I was surrounded with love, and the classes gave me the tools I need to face almost any situation. I still have struggles from time to time, but I know I can trust God with anything.
It’s been four years since I graduated from the recovery program at the Christian Aid Center. After I left, I went to school to earn a degree in electrical technology, which I just completed. I’m now working as an electrical journeyman and I got married last summer.
I’m thankful for everyone who believed in me and prayed for me. Without the program, I have no idea where I would be today, or if I’d even be alive. I look forward to tomorrow and embrace whatever it may have for me.”
Jeff’s Story
“The last five years were the worst in my entire life. I became disabled from a previous back injury, fell into addiction, and got a divorce. The surgeries to fix my back only made things worse and left me bed-bound for a couple of years. That’s when my addiction to pain medicine started—and that’s when my marriage of 13-years ended. I was in terrible pain and felt like I was dying of a broken heart.
After my divorce, I moved to another state where it was harder to get pain medicine. My insurance refused to cover my treatments anymore, so I started using methamphetamines to self-medicate. I was living in an RV and not able to do anything—or I didn’t believe that I could. I felt stagnant and depressed. When I started hallucinating from the drugs I was taking, I knew I had to get help.
A counselor referred me to the Christian Aid Center, and even after being in the recovery program for just a few months, I can already see that I am changing. No longer am I my worst enemy. Instead of thinking I am incapable of doing anything, I now have the confidence that I can accomplish almost anything that is put in front of me. I can’t wait to see the person I will become by the time I finish the program! But for now, I love that I get to serve and work in the kitchen because I can help other people while I am being helped.”
kevin’s Story
“I was kicked out of my own house because of my addictions. That opened my eyes to what I’d been doing wrong all these years. It started when my mother died when I was five years old. I was raised by my father, and even though he took very good care of me, I still missed having a mom. When I was 14, I started using cigarettes, then at 16 it was marijuana. By the time I was 17, I was using meth to cope with my loneliness.
My addictions were the reason my marriage of seven years failed. And when I got kicked out, I felt like my world was over and I tried to commit suicide. I spent five days in the hospital and then came to the Christian Aid Center because I had no other place to go. That was the start of the most important journey of my life so far.
When I got here, I was scared. I never thought in a million years I would be in a homeless shelter. But my life started changing as they helped me get sober. Then I joined the recovery program hoping to get a better knowledge of God--because ever since I was a child, I was pretty angry with Him. I thought He had taken my mom away and didn’t really care about me. But I’ve learned that God was with me all along and has a better plan for my life.
Since graduating from the program, I’ve been able to use the skills I learned from the classes, and the experience of being a dorm monitor to help me now in my work as a peer support counselor. Now I get to help others caught in the cycle of addiction. God was able to take my mess and change it to a message of hope.
toby’s Story
“When I got divorced two years ago, I didn’t know what to do next. My friends were giving me bad advice and inviting me to go to bars with them. But I have two kids and wanted to make the best decisions for them.
At that time, I was “couch surfing.” Even though I had my own business as a barber, I didn’t have a place to call home. One day, while cutting the hair of a regular client, I shared a bit about the struggles I was going through. He happens to be a pastor and he invited me to come to his church—and I started going. One Sunday he announced there was a need for volunteers at the Christian Aid Center.
I had Mondays off, so I thought I could provide haircuts for the guests there. I contacted the volunteer coordinator and we set up a time to meet and take a tour. As we walked through the building where their little barbershop is, I suddenly realized that I had been here before. I think I had blocked that time out of my memory bank as a child.
When I was about eight years old, my mother made the desperate decision to leave my father. They had a toxic relationship and her doctor warned her that the stress was going to kill her. I don’t know how she found out about this place, but one night she brought me and my little sister here. We stayed for two days while she figured out what we would do next. She ended up going back to school and later owning her own barbershop.
Now, more than 30 years later, I look forward to volunteering in the very room where we had stayed. And I get to hang out with these guys who are so genuine and sincere when they thank me for cutting their hair. It’s so gratifying to see the transformation that takes place from when they first get here, to when they cross the finish line of completing the program and moving on to a better life. As a volunteer, I love that I get to be a part of helping to provide that change.”
