|
 God's Tool Box
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
Sometimes it’s hard to believe: God has a blueprint for each and every life. There is no disclaimer to His bold statement in Jeremiah excluding a man who drank his life away. And no small print reads “except for the woman selling herself to the highest bidder.”
Yes, even for those who seem completely without purpose, God works to bring His perfect plan for their lives to reality.
Every day at Hope Ministries’ Bethel Mission, Hope Family Center and Door of Faith, we are blessed to see His workmanship in the lives of people like Gus.
A wife, two kids, 24 years of military service, a good job—nothing could keep Gus Vallas from drinking. Eventually his drinking career left him homeless and alone.
Gus came to Des Moines from Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast. “I had no direction in my life, no structure,” he says today. “I stayed to myself and didn’t think I was hurting anybody. I’ve affected so many people’s lives.”
At Hope Ministries, God uses tools He’s carefully placed at this ministry—counseling, education, job-skills training, discipleship, Bible studies, food, shelter and, often, people—to restore homeless and broken men and women to stable, independent living. For Gus, God’s first tool was Hope Ministries’ counselor John Hoxeng.
John (a member of Hope Ministries’ staff) was visiting the homeless in downtown Des Moines through our Hope on the Streets outreach program when he first met Gus. John gave him his phone number and told him about our Journey of Hope recovery program. Gus took the information but had no intention of ever calling or coming for help. God had a different plan.
A couple months later, Gus was hospitalized with pancreatitis. With nowhere to go when he was released, he came to our Bethel Mission facility. Our caring staff was waiting to greet him.
Gus later signed up for our Journey of Hope recovery program, where counseling and support groups helped him overcome his addiction and heal his relationship with his children.
He participates in discipleship classes, prayer and personal Bible study helped him grow in his faith and rest in the peace that comes through forgiveness.
To prepare them for the work environment, each resident in the recovery program has a work assignment to help him become responsible and accountable for his actions. One of Gus’ duties was to work at the desk at our Bethel Mission emergency shelter. Here he draws strength to persevere from men he sees come through the doors at the Mission. He did so well, we hired him as our night supervisor.
“I see the men and I ask myself … ‘Did I smell like that? Did I behave that way?’ Addiction is hard to explain. It’s the worst thing in the world that can happen to a person. Nobody wants anything to do with you. I tell the men, ‘I’ve been where you’ve been. Do you want to sit down and talk and have some coffee?’”
For decades God has moved through this ministry to bring spiritual, physical and emotional health to thousands of homeless men, women and children. He begins by using His Word to help each person build a true relationship with Him. Then God goes to His toolbox at Hope Ministries to find just the right tools to empower individuals and families to become productive members of our Christian community.
We are thankful for faithful donors who partner with us each month in providing life-changing opportunities for hundreds of homeless and hungry people like Gus in central Iowa.
“Hope Ministries is the best place in the world for (addicts) to start recovery,” Gus says. “The Word of God is so present here. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen!”
Thank you, in advance, for allowing God to use you as a tool in fulfilling His plans in the lives of the least, the last and the lost in central Iowa.
|
