Will was an old guy with a 30 year cocaine habit. He came to Helping Up Mission in February 2010 because he alienated everyone he knew and no one would let him crash at their house anymore!
He arrived at HUM with a plan. Will would let family know he was here in recovery and, after the 45 day blackout period, would do something to be dismissed from the program. He would call his people and hopefully they would invite him to stay with them again. Will was hoping to work the cycle of staying with one after another, just one more time!
So, on his 46th day and now off restriction, Will left the campus. He went back to places he knew, but things had changed and it wasn’t very appealing to him. In fact, he was so uncomfortable that he hurried back “home” – to HUM.
At first a bit bewildered by it all, Will knew those people, places and things hadn’t changed, but it just didn’t feel the same anymore. He began to realize the difference was in him – the things he wanted now were a lot different than what he wanted in the past.
So Will stayed and graduated from our 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program 1 year later. He also stayed an extra year on campus in graduate transition housing. Last year, Will moved out to his own place in the city.
But he still stops by HUM often. We are an important part of Will’s spiritual recovery network. He feels like this place saved his life!
Still One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director