Joel struggles today. Life is not easy for him. And we are so happy to have him around. Later this year, our ministry will be 10 years old — 15 if you count from the time Terry began volunteering with homeless young people. And we've known Joel almost the entire time.
Back in the day, Joel was a vibrant teenager. He loved to draw cartoons. He loved to draw realistic but fantastic scenes. And he loved drugs. They gave him an escape like nothing else he could find.
We served him with basic needs to keep him alive, mostly safe and healthy. These were his "freshman" days. Partying, enjoying himself, living "out loud," escaping his past.
At some point, the drugs took over. He lost all interest in art. He withdrew. He was depressed and quiet. He took care of himself the only way he knew how to. And it wasn't good for himself or others. We served him with the resources he needed to stay alive. And we constantly reminded him of his old love of art and engaged him in conversation that reminded him how smart he is. Nevertheless, he sank deeper.
These were his "sophomore" days — same old things, but tending more and more to self-destructive and harmful behaviors. Joel would rise and fall, vacillating between the modes of freshman and sophomore behavior. It would have been easy to give up on him, but we know God never does. So we kept at it, even when we were hardly welcome in Joel's life.
One day, Joel seemingly woke up. He realized he was in quite a dilemma. He was very capable, very bright, but stuck. He knew he couldn't keep going the same way. He made plans to change. To become sober. To earn money honestly. To stop hurting himself and others.
This was his "junior” year. He explored possibilities and tried on new identities. Eventually, he focused on a plan. It included recognition of God and the saving grace that comes from repentance. It included sobriety. It included a regular job. Our task was to encourage Joel to make his plan and to help him explore options to allow him to find something he believed would work.
In what we would describe as his "senior” days, Joel focused more sharply on his plan. It was not easy and he had to start over more than once. Sobriety was costly to achieve at first and difficult to maintain. Jails were involved in getting right with the law so he could work consistently. And he tried many different living arrangements. Our job was to remind him that it mattered. His goals were good and that he could achieve them.
Today, Joel is sober, participates in support groups, takes part in Bible studies and church, leads in a cooperative sober living organization, and is going to school. Joel's struggles today are with accepting that he cannot control everything. Accepting that he wants things that are not good for him still. Taking care of himself even as he allows himself to be surrounded by many who also are struggling.
Joel has a peace that is amazing. We cannot wait to see how many others he may help in the future. We have many Joels at different stages in their journey, and we respond individually, depending on their stage and need. We hear regularly from so many who are doing amazing things.
We are so grateful for what you have done for this client and all our clients! Together, we will keep it up for benefit of all.
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