I first met Jon in 2007, the year he arrived at Helping Up Mission. Born in West Africa, he’d been in the US for a while and developed a chemical addiction here.
Once in our 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program, Jon consciously worked at his recovery. Wanting to change and willing to take suggestions, he did what we advised and graduated one year later.
Then Jon moved on…and I lost touch with him.
I saw Jon again yesterday…and with great enthusiasm he shared with me that he’d been clean for 8 years — since first arriving at HUM. But it’s not been an easy time — recently Jon also became a cancer survivor.
Now on disability, his most recent living arrangements didn’t go so well, so Jon came back here as an overnight guest until better arrangements could be made.
As a graduate of our Program, Jon would be eligible to live here again…but he wants to have his own place.
It was great seeing him after all these years. While things aren’t perfect, Jon’s just appreciating the life God’s given him…
…One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director