“We had a really great family life,” Jonathan says. “My parents never went anywhere where they couldn’t take us kids. They weren’t drinkers, they didn’t use drugs, and they worked every day.” Growing up in California, Jonathan and his family enjoyed outdoor activities, including camping, water skiing, and fishing.
Jonathan’s family eventually moved to Las Vegas. Several years later, his father died and his mother returned to California. Staying behind in Las Vegas, “I started using recreational drugs,” he says, “just on the weekends, and after several years of that, it actually turned into a habit.”
With his life turning into a cycle of losing jobs, Jonathan used his remaining resources to feed his drug addiction. He hoped a return to California would help change things, but the same pattern repeated there. Eventually he moved to Seattle, where he wound up homeless.
"It was probably about the lowest that I felt”
“It was bad,” Jonathan says of his time on the streets. “Trying to find money, panhandling, using up all my resources … sleeping in abandoned vehicles, in abandoned houses.”
Jonathan became estranged from his family. “When I moved up this way, I just left them, and I didn’t talk to them,” he says. When his mother died, his brother and sister had no way of reaching him. He says it still hurts today that he missed her funeral.
The week before he came to the Mission was his lowest point. “I had an apartment … and I lost that.” he says, “I thought I had everything going. I had this apartment for a while, but after losing my job … it was probably about the lowest that I felt.”
This led to a great deal of shame for Jonathan. “I felt like I wasn’t worth anything … I felt alone,” he says.
“I felt redeemed. I felt like I meant something”
Remembering his first day and meal at the Mission, “that was the best meal I’ve ever had for a while,” he says. “Just the love and the caring that I received here. I was received with open arms … It was awesome being around others that had similar or the same life that I had. It was like a big family here.”
Jonathan began reading a great deal, and he grew in his relationship with Jesus. “I felt redeemed. I felt wanted. I felt like I meant something,” he says. Jonathan says he had to let go of false beliefs he had about himself, and embrace the reality that he has something to give and that he is forgiven.
Coming into the Mission was “the best thing that ever happened” to him. Jonathan eventually joined staff and serves with the Facilities team. Through his job, he is able to touch others with the love of Christ that he has experienced. “The great thing about this job is I’m able to share my story with others,” he says, “giving them hope that there’s a better life that awaits you after you finish your program and move on.”
