I want to share a story with you about a man named Jake. Jake entered our men’s transitional housing program a year ago. He was a recovering alcoholic who had been in and out of shelters for much of his life. Now he wanted to turn things around and become “normal” again. It had been a long time since Jake had felt normal. After serving in the Vietnam War, things never seemed right for him. He struggled a lot with what he had seen (and done). Jake shared bits of his experiences with us, but not much.
Jake received a large sum of money and took off for the weekend to celebrate. Sadly, it was a fatal mistake. Jake had remained sober for two years but last weekend he slipped back into his past and went on a drinking binge. The police found him half conscience with a failing heart. He never recovered. The hospital staff pulled his life support and Jake died.
We all miss Jake and feel badly about what happened. Now we must focus on the many other homeless veterans staying with us tonight. Our transitional housing has twelve beds committed just to vets, and we are working on a grant that will allow us to house as many as thirty vets at a time. Our emergency shelter houses many more veterans. A number of them also struggle with the difficult memories of war. They served their country with honor to bring us all peace, but for various reasons, have been unable to find it themselves.
Would you keep these homeless veterans in your prayers? I believe God’s heart is especially directed to their welfare. I know mine is. Just know your prayers can make a real difference in their lives.
We are also asking for financial help. The number of people seeking our help during these tough economic times has grown faster than donations. Your gift is really needed as we continue to reach out to men like Jake. Thanks so much for your kindness and support to the homeless and impoverished in our community.
