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 Image of Hope
Chuck Malloy holds up his little finger. “My patience is about the size of my pinkie,” he says. The self-ascribed “stubborn old goat” and biker has completed Hope Ministries’ Men’s Resident Program at Door of Faith and waits for an opening in public housing and for disability payments to begin.
A tire builder and concrete finisher, Chuck suffered a heart attack in 1996 and was diagnosed with progressive coronary disease and diabetes. He tried to return to work several times after his heart attack, but each attempt landed him back in the hospital.
At first Chuck tried coping with his health issues with cocaine — “The drug overpowered the pain. It numbed it.”
Finally, he says, he hit the skids. “I came to The Door two and a half years ago because I was unable to work and I didn’t know where to turn. They got me the healthcare I needed and helped me find the right people to talk to so I could get on disability.”
Despite the help he received, Chuck admits he wasn’t easy to work with. “It was no cakewalk. I come from a nonreligious family and a biker background. I was hardcore and stubborn when I came in. But when it got hot, they didn’t run. They stood by me.”
As his health improved, Chuck began looking forward to counseling and morning devotions. He even joined a computer class! “I was computer illiterate,” he says. “I didn’t know a mouse from a cursor.”
In November 2002, a Hope Ministries chaplain prayed with Chuck and he accepted Christ into his life. The “stubborn old goat” began looking forward to getting up each morning, socializing and learning what he says is a whole new way of life.
At 44, Chuck still longs for a good day of hard work and the staff at Hope Ministries must remind him to be realistic about his limitations. “Sometimes they have to stop me from going out on a job. It’s really frustrating. Today I stuffed envelopes for my room and board. Light stuff,” he complains.
Please pray for Chuck as he prepares to leave his Hope Ministries family of more than two years. With your prayers and a little more patience, Chuck should do just fine!
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