Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

Walt Downey’s childhood was filled with pain.  At nine, his mother died; two years later, his father abandoned his children.  Walt’s brother and sister went to live with relatives, but Walt spent his teen years in institutions and foster care. 

“My father sexually abused me which left me really confused,” Walt confides.  “Later I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.”

One bright spot stands out in Walt’s memories:  “My grandmother crocheted when I was little.  One day, she gave me a needle and yarn, and taught me how to crochet a chain.”  As a teen, Walt returned to crocheting as a pastime and comfort. 

For eight years, Walt supported himself as a certified nurse’s assistant and medical assistant in Indiana.  Depressed and homesick for his brother and sister, he returned to Iowa in 2002.  After transferring his CNA license, Walt found a job at Mercy Hospital and came to The Door, planning to stay long enough to save money for a place of his own.  Three months into his new job, Walt was diagnosed with diabetes — a disease that has plagued his family for generations.

“I’ve had to hang up nursing,” he says, citing diabetic neuropathy that causes burning pain, swelling and discoloration in his legs and feet.  Bored and depressed, Walt turned to counselors at Hope Ministries for guidance, and once again picked up his crochet needles for comfort.

“My counselor at The Door has been helpful, not judgmental,” Walt says.  “He helped set me with a mental health therapist.  And when I didn’t have income for bus fare, The Door went a step further, allowing me to be a driver for them.  I take the guys to church and AA meetings.  While I wait for them, I crochet.”

Hope Ministries counselors have prayed with Walt about the confusion and shame that remain from his father’s abuse.  “As I wept, the Spirit of God soothed me like a mother’s comfort,” he says.

As Walt awaits a ruling on his application for disability, he spends much of each day using donated yarn to crochet blankets for babies born at two local hospitals.  “When we are born, we are born poor,” he explains.  “We should have a special blanket to wrap up in.”

This gentle approach to life is reflected in Walt’s view of his current circumstances.  “Even in the worst times, God didn’t forget me.  I was sheltered, clothed, and educated. Now the guys at The Door are my best friends.  I didn’t grow up with a mother, but I have a brother and sister who write and call.  And I’ll have a better family in heaven!  After I see Jesus, I’ll look for my mother.”