A New Life at Joy Junction

By Jeremy Reynalds Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS) --

Luther was an alcoholic, but a functioning one.

He said he was living in a two- bedroom apartment with a significant other, her daughter and two granddaughters.  At that point in his life, he was doing mostly day labor.  It paid the bills, but it could still get rough, especially if he wasn't able to find work for that day. Luther decided that he needed something a little more stable.  A friend of his knew there was a position open as a cook at a local restaurant.  Three weeks later, he was finally hired.

Luther

Luther worked there for three months, until the alcohol started to take an even more insidious hold on his life. 

He said, "Stress got me.  The nerves all combined together, and drinking helped me not care anymore."

Luther was eventually fired, with the drinking playing a major part in his termination. At that point, Luther said, he knew he had to get a job quickly so he could keep pace with the bills.

Luther said he landed a job at a local janitorial company, where, for about six months, he cleaned offices.  This time he quit the job, because it was getting too stressful.

He said, "It was all nitpicking and people saying I wasn't doing my job.  I said 'rather than argue about it, I'll just leave.'"

From there, Luther said, he increased his drinking.  

In late Oct. 2010, Luther had had it.    Step by step, he left everything behind; walked out of the apartment, walked out of his jobs, walked out of his kids lives.  He went to the streets.  His only stable companion during this time was beer.

Eventually, the beer failed to give Luther the comfort he needed, and he graduated to a more potent addiction: crack cocaine.

He said, "I was spending about 150.00 a day on crack."

Hitting up friends, panhandling and money obtained from selling cans helped fund Luther's addiction.

 Luther said, "I would go out 'canning' everyday, and that was just for one habit.

During this time, Luther was living wherever he could.  Sometimes he would stay at the Albuquerque Rescue Mission.  Other times he would just camp anywhere he could find. 

When winter came, Luther stayed at the Westside shelter, a winter shelter run by the Albuquerque Rescue Mission and funded by the City of Albuquerque from November to March.

He said, "Whenever I got enough money, I would stay in a hotel room for two or three days, but then, back to the streets."

Luther knew about Joy Junction from talking with Albuquerque's  homeless population, and had been to the facility over a decade prior.  However, he had no idea how large it was, nor the amount of services offered.

Luther said, "Everything out on the streets was changing.  People were 'defriending' each other.  People were no longer being nice to their fellow homeless friends.  It was becoming very dangerous to be out there."

He continued, "I was getting tired.  I was starting to slip into (more drugs).  I knew that I could get to the West Side, or I could call Joy Junction.  I told God that whichever bus came first is the one I would get on."

Joy Junction's van arrived first.

Luther said, "I was so drunk.  When I (arrived) ... I don't even remember who was there.  I was so drunk I don't remember what was going on.  All I do know is that I was SO scared of the heroin, that I knew I had to stay.  I had to get off the streets.  I didn't really feel anything when I first got to Joy Junction.  I was fading in and out."

Luther got signed in, and was shown to his spot where he would spend the night.

The first thing he did when he woke up the next morning was to ask if Joy Junction had a recovery program. After hearing a description of our program from a staff member, Luther was very interested.

He said,  I knew I needed it.  I was tired of the drinking and all that.  I was REALLY afraid of the heroin."

Currently in his fifth month of the program Luther is doing well. His program assignment is helping residents with their needs. Much like he was when he came through the door, Luther now helps those same scared people understand  they are safe.

Luther is thinking about life after Joy Junction.

He said, "I see a good future without drinking or anything.  I am ready to go out there, and work with people, and let them know what Jesus is all about."

Luther's caring attitude isn't reserved for his program assignment.  Through the day, when not on duty, he can often be seen helping those in need, whether it be residents, people in the program, staff, or even volunteers.   He is always there to offer a helping hand and a smile.

Luther said, "I would like to get back together with my family.  My drinking caused me to walk out.  I am now going to see them on the weekends.  I am trying to get myself situated, so that I can be there for them in the future."

Amen, Luther. We're glad that we can play a small part in your recovery.

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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.

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Another's Faith Becomes Their Own

After witnessing the strong devotion others have for Jesus, many people have come to know firsthand the amazing grace and love found in Christ.

Experiencing a God who Changes Everything

Shaunak Gupta heard about Jesus Christ when he was just a boy, but the seeds of faith didn’t take root in his heart until he was grown and married.

After witnessing a miraculous healing upon his mother, Shaunak finally started to understand Christ. When he experienced healing for himself, after a developing pain in his leg suddenly vanished, Shaunak knew the God he heard about as a child was truly the real God. He decided then to commit his life to live for Christ.

His wife, Guna, grew up in the traditional faith and had never even heard about Christ. Jesus was foreign to her. But as she watched her husband pour over Scripture and draw closer to God in his prayer life, things started to change in their family—and Guna took notice.

Soon, the values and teachings of the Christian faith became deeply embedded within her. She found herself praying to Jesus and was surprised to see herself changing.

“There was complete peace and serenity in my family,” she said. “Only the true living God could bring about these changes.”

Witnessing the Lord’s provision and the way He kept their family healthy and away from harm helped solidify Guna’s faith in Christ. She and Shaunak helped cultivate the faith within their own children, and they, too, are now active members in a local Gospel for Asia-supported missionary’s church.

A Perplexing Devotion

In a similar way, Devansh Singh watched as his son’s wife, Sadaf, faithfully prayed to Jesus Christ. He wasn’t a believer and would only pray to his gods and goddesses during certain months out of the year. But Sadaf prayed for everything. It didn’t matter what time of year it was, Sadaf constantly sought the face of her God.

This sort of lifestyle caught Devansh off guard; he was astonished yet perplexed by her devotion. Soon, her love for Christ began to rub off on her father-in-law, and he slowly began praying to Jesus.

After noticing how the Lord answered his prayers, Devansh set his faith completely on Christ and began a new chapter in his life.

Through his newly found relationship with Jesus, more family members began to surrender their lives to Christ. Now, he, Sadaf and the rest of their family worship the Lord in the local GFA-supported church.

Leading by Example

Living in a culture resistant to the Good News of Christ can make it difficult for missionaries to be effective in sharing the love of Christ. But, just like in the life of Shaunak and Sadaf, one of the greatest ways to reach people comes when believers live out their faith.

• Two sisters’ sudden change in demeanor surprises their mother.

The British Invasion.....of Joy Junction

By Jonathan Matheny
Special to ASSIST News Service

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO (ANS) -- It started as a single person, coming from Britain, with dreams about "ministry" helping the homeless in America.

After a long journey, including being homeless, running a shelter in another city, and numerous trials, Jeremy Reynalds now runs the largest emergency shelter in New Mexico, Joy Junction.  Joy Junction is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and is a bell weather for many organizations across the nation concerning the plight of the homeless.

Jeremy Reynalds

After 25 years, word of Joy Junction made it back to Reynalds' home via You Tube.

On July 11, a film crew of three from the British Broadcasting Corporation arrived in Albuquerque, New Mexico to film at Joy Junction.

Paul Mason, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, had embarked on a story highlighting the parallels of John Steinbeck's classic work "The Grapes of Wrath" and the current economic environment in the United States.  His goal was to point out the similarities between the Joad family in Steinbeck's work and the current homeless population.  Following a path similar to Steinbeck's, he started off in El Reno, Oklahoma, and would end in Bakersfield, California.

The British are coming

In a sport coat and casual dress, Reynalds met with Paul Mason and the BBC production team.  Three families from Joy Junction had been asked to tell their story and were eager to be interviewed.  It wasn't drugs, or alcohol or even domestic violence that made them homeless; it was the economy.

Reynalds said, "This is such a wonderful opportunity for Joy Junction and America's homeless population. 

Hopefully, this will bring to light the fact that homelessness has a very diverse population.  Homelessness is not synonymous with addiction."

Maurice and Roseangel Ortiz

As the BBC crew walked around Joy Junction's 52 acres, they were astounded by a few things.  It seemed to them that everyone was in good spirits.
The other thing that was immediately apparent was the number of children.

"The two fastest growing populations in the homeless community are families and veterans.  We see it every day.  And we see it just increasing", said Reynalds, when asked about what type of people they see.

Of the 300 people whom Joy Junction helps per night, 70-80 are children.  More than half the children will be attending the local elementary school.

With classic journalistic style, Paul Mason began to ask frank questions about what people thought the reason for such an economic problem.

He received answers like, "The government is spending money on war, not the economy."

Larry and Michelle Anatista

"We got a little stimulus, but that just made things better for a bit.   Where is the long-term solution?"

While filming the third interview, one of the BBC production people expressed a bit of his frustration; "It makes me so angry to see a country as rich as America, having such a large problem with homelessness."

The BBC crew left Joy Junction that first night at around 10:00 pm, after driving in from Oklahoma and filming for 3 hours.  "Let's regroup, because I am knackered" quipped Paul Mason.

The plan for the next morning was for Dr. Reynalds to show them around some of downtown Albuquerque's hotels where homeless individuals and families congregate.  Some of these hotels have numerous families that are staying there because they have no other choice.  Joy Junction's mobile lunch wagon, the Lifeline Of hope helps to provide for these families immediate needs, helping with the daily decision ".do I pay for food, or the room."

Hotels in a new light

Dr. Reynalds took the BBC crew to a section of Central Avenue, right off the highway, where there are a string of hotels advertising cheap room rates.

"These places fill up in the first two weeks, after benefit checks are paid and when they run out, they empty and people drift over to Joy Junction" Dr. Reynalds informs the crew.

"Now I see the cheap hotels in a new light.  This is where America's hidden homeless live" Paul Mason wrote in the final article "In Steinbeck's footsteps: America's middle-class underclass".

Paul Mason

Dr. Reynalds shared a few thoughts about the experience:

"It is so nice to see a news reporting agency like the BBC take an interest in the plight of the homeless.  Hopefully, this will help raise awareness, and encourage people to get involved in their own communities."

The BBC departed later that day, continuing their journey to Bakersfield, California by way of Phoenix, Arizona, with a whole new perspective on the United States and the underserved homeless population.

As they loaded up their equipment, and began to plot their course westward, you could see the difference in their faces.  It took less than 24 hours, spending time in the trenches of homelessness, for these foreigners to realize the magnitude of the situation.  It was an eye-opening experience for them, and one, I am sure, they will not soon forget.

The Newsnight story, "In Steinbeck's footsteps: America's middle-class underclass ", aired on July 28th on BBC Newsnight and BBC World News.

You can watch the televised article, in its entirety, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsnight.
 

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Jonathan Matheny is the Volunteer Coordinator for Joy Junction.