For The Love of God: recovery

7/22/11

A Life Redeemed

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS) -- Warren thought he was on the way up, while in reality he was on the way down.

Warren's life was busy. He was in a relationship, working at jobs as a bartender and bouncer and pursuing a degree in criminal justice and psychology. However, the path to destruction was set when he started to become a part of the bar scene lifestyle.

Warren

Addiction to alcohol and sex resulted in Warren spending more money. Warren said he started drinking while he was on the clock for his bouncing and bartending jobs.

Warren said while his girlfriend was at home taking care of everything, he would go and party with as many people as he could find. Not surprisingly, infidelity soon followed.

He said, "I became addicted to alcohol and sex. I was living a double life. I would spend money to keep up a certain appearance. I would buy gifts for girls, drinks, bar tabs, and everything."

Not surprisingly, Warren's girlfriend refused to tolerate the ongoing infidelity, drinking and money issues anymore, so in June 2010 she told him to leave.

Warren's life continued to spiral downward. He hit up friends for shelter-as long as there was an available couch or space on the floor, it didn't matter. All he needed was a roof over his head.

Warren said things continued to get worse. It didn't take much longer for him to get arrested as a result of writing a check with insufficient funds in his account. As a result, he spent seven months in jail.

Warren said while in jail no one visited him, including the friends with whom he used to party. Mistakenly, Warren had thought these individuals were close to him.

Warren said, "I felt like, 'Damn, no one came to see me. I need to change my life around. I need to get help.'"

Upon his release, Warren went to a friend's house and stayed on the floor for about a month. However, he got into an argument with the friend, and once again, found himself on the streets.

For about a week, Warren said he was totally homeless. He slept in parks, and anywhere else he could find, including hospital lobbies. During the day, he tried to look for work, or he just walked around. He was searching for friends, but no one wanted anything to do with him. He had hurt a lot of people.

Warren said, "I felt like everyone was ignoring me. No one wanted anything to do with me. All those people I hurt; they didn't even want to talk to me."

Warren was still in school throughout all this trouble, but that was also starting to suffer. He said he was told his scholarships were frozen until he could change his living situation. Warren said officials were particularly concerned about the fact he had no place to stay, and that as a result he could not focus on his studies.

He said, "I felt like crap ... like I couldn't accomplish anything. I had never been homeless. I have always had a place to stay. I've always taken care of myself. And one day I had five dollars in my pocket, and that was ALL I had left. I remember going into Albertson's to get something to eat, and meeting my ex-girlfriend again. She told me about Joy Junction. She (said) I looked really bad."

Warren was initially unsure about Joy Junction. He tried to make up every excuse he could to not go. "I don't want to be there." "I am not really homeless." "I'll be fine; I don't need that."

That would change. Warren recalled a late night at an area park.

He said, "I was sitting on a bench, couldn't really sleep, and these guys walked up. There were three or four, and I guess I was on their territory, and sure enough, they surrounded me and tried to beat me up."

That was enough of a trigger for Warren to realize a drastic change was in order. He called Joy Junction.

Arriving at the guardshack gate a short time later Warren recalled, " I was scared out of my mind. I remember the first day I came here. I felt like, 'This is it. I am here, and this is weird.' I had anxiety; a lot of anxiety- and I was hungry. Dirty - I hadn't taken a shower in a week. I was immediately humbled."

Some seasoned participants in Joy Junction's Life Recovery program immediately recognized someone in distress, and began to get Warren what he needed. That included a towel, soap, and a sack lunch.

Their kindness notwithstanding, Warren said his first night was still rough.

He said, "I didn't sleep a wink. My first thought was 'Man, there's a .. lot of people here.'' I talked to (a guy) most of the night. I was too scared to fall asleep. (The guy) mentioned something about a program. I thought at first that I didn't need it. ' I'll pass. I'll just keep on coming back. All I need is a bed.'"

The next morning, at 6:00 am wake-up, Warren began helping by serving breakfast to our guests, as well as some other chores. After breakfast, he took a shower, and remembered the Christ in Power Program recovery class starting.

He said, "I thought I would sit in on it and see what it is like." Warren ended up enrolling the same day.

Warren has continued to make progress. Now it's he who assists newer (and nervous) Joy Junction guests with their immediate needs. It's an assignment that requires patience and compassion. In addition, Warren has some responsibility for assisting newer program members.

Warren is always ready to smile, and lend a helping hand. He has a sympathetic ear, and wants to make sure people don't feel as nervous as he did on his first night at Joy Junction.

He said, "I am kinda a hugger now. I wasn't always before. A lot of stuff has changed for me since I got here. I have reconciled with my parents. I am able to open up more. I am working on reconciling with friends. Even my ex-girlfriend and I are talking again about starting a friendship. She told me about this place... I am getting help with all the compulsions I used to have."

Warren is in his fourth month of Joy Junction's program, just shy of half way. He would like to graduate the program, go back to UNM and at some point get involved with assisting a homeless ministry.

He said, "I believe God allowed me to see this part of life so I can help. I have that caring spirit now, and I think I can be used well in this area. So many people need help, and not everyone understands."

He concluded, "If I can help one person not make the mistakes I did, then I am good."

My Take

Thanks, Warren. We're glad that God brought you to us. We're proud of your accomplishments so far, and believe you will continue to succeed as you commit your way unto the Lord.

Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter,http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City."

Additional details on "Homeless in the City" are available at http://www.homelessinthecity.com. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds atjeremyreynalds@comcast.net.

7/20/11

Down but Definitely Not Out

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS) --

During the first part of 2009, Tim and Sandra Cordova saidthey were living the American dream.

For two years, they had been renting a beautiful two story house in Albuquerque's Ventana Ranch. Tim was a manager at an area McDonalds, and had been for over a year. Sandra was a housewife.

Sandra and Tim Compress

They were able to go on vacations, see the Dallas Cowboys play at home, go to Las Vegas, NV, and did most things-if not more-than those enjoyed by an average middle-class American family.

Then almost in a heartbeat, everythingchanged.

On May 15 2009, Tim went to work, and his general manager was waiting for him. He was told that McDonalds was making some management changes, and due to a business slow down and some other factors, Tim's job was being eliminated.

Tim said, "I felt shock. I was worried about what I was going to do. I tried talking to them about having me stay on, but they said no. I walked away feeling worried, scared, and having to face Sandra."

Understandably, Sandra was more than taken aback.

She said, "I thought he was kidding. He had been there over a year. Then he said he wasn't."

Sandra added, "I was VERY upset. How were we going to pay our bills? Rent was due in a couple of weeks. What were we going to do?"

Tim started to look for work while he was applying for unemployment. At first, he searched for management level jobs. However, the market was so bad that he began just trying to find anything.

Tim said, "It was very disappointing. I heard, 'We don't need managers right now,' or 'We're not hiring. It's too slow. We might start hiring if we pick up.' I was very discouraged."

While Tim was struggling to find work, Sandra tried to help anyway she could. She started by cleaning houses, which brought in an amount way less than the couple needed.

Eventually unable to afford the Ventana Ranch house, the couple moved to a small one bedroom, one bath apartment, but still kept searching for work.

Incidentally, it took almost two months for unemployment to be awarded.

Even with unemployment and Sandra continuing to clean houses, there was more month than money. Still out of work, Tim was becoming increasingly discouraged with the steady stream of rejections.

Sandra started to look for additional work, beyond cleaning houses. Sticking mostly to fast food and retail, she ran into similar trouble. Her applications were met with, "We have too many cashiers," or "We don't have enough hours to give you. It will be part time at best."

Sandra eventually got a job at Subway. However, in April 2011, her hours were reduced to just a few hours a week. She was told that newer people in training were given the hours she had once enjoyed. Eventually, Sandra said, they just stopped scheduling her altogether. At the same time, Tim's unemployment ran out.

Even in their newer scaled down housing they were unable to pay the rent for May. The landlord gave them three days to move out. The only place they had to go was their car. It was the only possession they had left with the exception of a few clothes.

The Cordovas lived in their car for three weeks. They moved from location to location, parking wherever they could find a safe spot.

Tim said, "It was very scary. We couldn't get enough sleep, it was so uncomfortable. We had to get up early in the morning, because it got too hot."

Despite their even more restrictive living quarters, during the days the constant struggle of trying to find a job remained. When the Cordovas weren't submitting application, they found themselves in parks, eating at Albuquerque's Noonday Ministries, and making careful use of public facilities.

With limited funds for gas, they stayed mostly in one area. After a mechanical problem with the car made it unusable, they opted for Joy Junction.

Tim said they came to the shelter on June 3 2011.

He said, "We knew Joy Junction was here, and we knew we could get help. We got here late at 1:00 am. It was Friday night."

Sandra added, "I felt safe. They did wake us up early, though."

Tim said, "I was tired-very tired. I was happy we had a place to sleep, but there were so many people."

Now, they are deeply involved in Joy Junction's Christ in Power Program life recovery program, which entails among many other things, classes based on the Tyndale House Life Recovery Bible.

The program also includes volunteer assignments, to help ready all our participants for re-entry into the work force.

Sandra's current assignment is with Joy Junction Volunteer Services, where she assists our volunteer coordinator in spreading the homeless story, the history of Joy Junction, and working out additional opportunities of assistance for our core of wonderful volunteers.

Tim is part of the Joy Junction Security Team, helping ensure a safe, orderly, comforting and welcoming environment for our many guests.

Once they complete the nine-month recovery program and graduate, the Cordovas want to continue their walk with the Lord and grow even closer to Him. They know that's the key to their ultimate continued success.

They said they're trusting the Lord that He'll lead them where He'd like them to be. They said wherever they end up-on staff with Joy Junction or work somewhere else-they would still like to maintain a close involvement with the shelter.

Tim said, "If it wasn't for Joy Junction, we (don't) know where we would be."

My Take

Thank you for allowing us to help this precious couple. It is God's faithfulness, and your prayerful and financial support, that has sustained Joy Junction for 25 years.