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Home >> United States & Canada >> Economics & Trade More than Three Hots and a Cot Jeremy Reynalds, Ph.D. - 3/5/2008 New Mexico’s Joy Junction is more than just a place where the homeless go to get a meal and a bed. Jamon RescateJamon's life used to be a self-described “hell.” That was before coming to Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter. He said, “All I wanted to do was party, hang out, and get in trouble. All my friends smoked weed, or did some kind of drug. I tried everything ... They were also big drinkers, but I didn’t drink that much. I was a weed person ...” Jamon soon met his son’s mother. He said, “I thought (then) I would slow down, but that didn't happen. She started to party with me, so instead of getting better it got worse. We (ended up) partying more. I was never a role model type.” Jamon reflected on his childhood years, where he remembered having been given everything he wanted. Jamon said, “All I had to do was ask my family, and they would get it for me. I guess I was spoiled. Every time I got in a hole, I ran to my mom and dad. What was funny was I had a job, but I had no bills. It was more money to party and working with family wasn’t like a real job, so I never really learned responsibilities.” Jamon’s girlfriend soon got pregnant and while he determined to do everything right, things just didn’t work and they ended up homeless with a newborn. They learned about Joy Junction and Jamon decided that they would stay with us until he got his check, and then they could move onto a motel where they could live on a week-by-week basis. He recalled, “We packed our stuff and then called for a pick up. Within an hour we were at the shelter. I was scared. When I got here I was somewhat depressed because I did not feel like a man. I felt like I could not take care of my family, and I had tried to.” After being at Joy Junction for a little while, Jamon decided that he needed to join the shelter's life recovery program. He said, “It started to make things look better for my family and me. I started to feel good about myself; I had responsibility again, and that made me feel good inside.” Jamons was assigned to the shelter kitchen for his program work assignment. He said, “I tried my hardest to be there on time, ready to work and work hard. They knew they could count on me whenever they needed me. I loved working. I was also going to church and life recovery classes and I even help start a Bible study class ... Things were going really good.” However, Jamon was about to experience a crisis that would test what he had learned at Joy Junction. His girlfriend moved out, and Jamon became a single parent. He said, “I did not want her to leave, and I asked myself what Jesus would do.” Jamon said he knew the answer. He said in addition to learning responsibility at Joy Junction, he has also learned how to forgive. Jaoon has now joined the staff at Joy Junction and is currently working in our front office. He said, “I am doing something right, for once in my life. However, it is not me; it is the Lord Who is helping me through this. He gave me everything I have, and where I am today is from what the Lord has given me.” Jamon added, “The Lord has let me keep my son because He knows I can do it. I can raise him right ...” Jamon is happy to be in the front office for now. He said, “It is helping me with my shyness, and I communicate more now. I am hoping to stay on as an employee of Joy Junction for as long as I can. I hope when the time comes I will be ready to go out and live in the real world (but I still want) to work here. I hope I am doing a good job, because I do my best in everything I do at Joy Junction. It's not just a place to stay, but a family to me and my son.” Jamon, we are proud of you. With the Lord’s help you will continue to recover and work toward wholeness. Laverne TsosieNot so long ago, Laverne’s life was a wreck. That was before she came to Joy Junction. Laverne was in trouble with the law; she had lost everything she owned because of drinking and her children didn’t like what she was doing to them or herself. Laverne said, “I thought that I knew everything because I got what I wanted through alcohol, but it turned my life and my two kids upside down, and I became more selfish.” However, a stint in jail resulted in Laverne thinking about what alcohol was doing to her and the kids. After jail, she and her family lived with friends for a while. “It didn’t work out because I went back to drinking,” Laverne said. “And I couldn’t handle living with other people and depending on them.” Laverne continued drinking, and said while she was out getting wasted she wasn’t thinking about her kids, just herself. “So finally my daughter was fed up with me,” Laverne said. “She told me to come to Joy Junction, and see if I could get my life back on track. I took her advice and came.” Laverne was initially very nervous. She said, “When I got here I felt uncomfortable, and couldn’t trust anyone around me.” But that fear would soon start diminishing, and it all began when Laverne heard about the shelter’s life recovery program. She said, “I sat in one of the classes they were having that morning, so I could see how it was. I decided to join the program for six months. I (graduated) the program. It really opened my eyes to see what was really going on with my life.” Laverne reflected on the time she’s spent at Joy Junction. She said being at the shelter has really changed her life. “I have realized that people here really care for you as a person. They want to help you become a better person,” she said. “Since I been here at Joy Junction I have grown a lot, and gotten to meet a lot of people. Joy Junction has taught me to open up a lot, and that was my worst fear. Now I can open up to people all around me.” Laverne is now living at Joy Junction’s transitional living center (TLC), and working at the shelter. Laverne said she really likes her job as well as living at the TLC. She said, “It took me a while to get (to the TLC). Being there, she said, is helping to prepare her for life on the outside where she will be responsible for rent and utilities, and a myriad of other responsibilities. Tsosie said being at Joy Junction’s TLC is “like starting all over again fresh. It has helped me realize that I can do whatever I need to take care of myself.” She added, “I think that I have come a long way in life ... Joy Junction really has changed my life around through the teachings of the gospel, and just being around people who really care.” Laverne is looking forward to the future. She said, “I have met a man who I am going to marry in June. We are going to get an apartment together here in Albuquerque and start a new life together. I am happy that I have found a man who is going to be with me and take care of me.” However, Laverne says although she’s planning to move out that she doesn’t want to quit her shelter job at our thrift store. She also wants to come back and visit all her new friends whom she had made while living at Joy Junction. We are so excited about what the Lord has done in Laverne’s life, and look forward to seeing what exciting plans the Lord has in store for her. Both Jamon and Laverne are great examples of what the Lord is doing in the unique work that He allows us to be a part of at Joy Junction. My TakeIn one sense, Joy Junction is a human reclamation plant. We are being entrusted with discouraged, broken lives which have been judged by many people to be hopeless and irreparable. All we do is love, encourage and pray for the hundreds of people who come our way. Then we tell them about the love of a Savior Who has a wonderful purpose for their lives. As we watch that truth take hold in their hearts, we see the beginnings of a miracle take place. Formerly lifeless eyes take on a sparkle, the fearful become faithful, and the hopeless become hopeful. The road to recovery has begun. |
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