Jonathan, 50, joined our 12-month residential Spiritual Recovery Program in January 2015. While from Baltimore, he had never heard of Helping Up Mission.
In fact, he arrived here after only being encouraged to do so from a counselor in California where he was living at the time. In a rehab there, Jonathan really wanted to get and stay clean from cocaine!
Once at HUM, and having a Biblical background, Jonathan got serious about his spiritual walk — understanding how it could empower his recovery from drugs. He followed direction and made good choices both in here and while out in the community.
One of his decisions was to get his Maryland High School diploma and he made good progress to that end. But, upon entering the final phase of our Program, Jonathan also wanted to go to work.
I told him my concerns — that he wouldn’t keep working on his diploma — but he assured me he would. Jonathan found an appropriate job that would also allow him the time to continue working with tutors toward his diploma.
I ran into him yesterday and he gave me an update. He’s been here 10 months now.
The job is going well and he is still working on his diploma. In fact, he had taken a practice test that morning and did okay.
Then Jonathan showed me something he received the night before — his “Clean and Serene For One Year” keytag from Narcotics Anonymous. I asked when the last time was that he did 12 months clean and he said, “Never! Not since I started using 30 years ago.”
The look on his face said it all and I’m really happy for Jonathan! And — I think — the best is yet to come for him!
It does work…
One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Deputy Director