When he arrived at Helping Up Mission 7 months ago, Peter had spent 25 years of his life battling with drugs and alcohol. But he wanted help — and also had a court date pending.
Those pending court dates sure do help guys get into programs…looks good when they stand before a judge. But our HUM staff understands — most of them did it, too!
So we accepted Peter, 49, into our 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program. A bright guy who has done a lot of things in his life — many of them illegal — when not under the influence of a chemical, he’s not so bad to be around.
But it wasn’t easy, at his age, quietly settling in here with the other 499 guys who reside at HUM. It took Peter a little time — but he did it.
And, in the last couple of months, I think we finally got to meet the real Peter!
At court yesterday, the judge, too, met this new Peter — but she also had his massive criminal record in her hand. She liked who she met…but she didn’t like all that was in his case file.
So it was probation for a couple of years and graduate from HUM. Peter will be here a while — he’s going to college next semester. Turns out he really likes helping people and wants to get some training.
He got some help…and found some hope — and now Pete wants to pass it on!
One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director