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The Hand that Rocks the Cradle is the Hand that Rules the World.
Joy Junction Guests Reflect on their Mothers
It has been said that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. So with that in mind and Mother’s Day just around the corner, I asked some of the guests staying at Joy Junction to write some recollections about their memory of “mom.”
(For confidentiality I have changed names).
Here is some of what they wrote.
Shirley
Shirley said, “Thank you, God, for mom. If not for mom, I would not have had the opportunity to journey through this creation, our world, that God made for us and all that it is meant for. Sometimes we forget to say ‘thank you’ to the one who made our precious mothers. ‘God, I give You thanks.’”
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Introducing a New Way to Help Joy Junction!
Joy Junction is proud to offer a new & unique program that provides a resource for your continued support of Joy Junction and our associated ministries. The program is offered through
Plan B Support, a local Albuquerque company.
Plan B Support offers a wide range of products and services that we use everyday. Each time that you purchase products and services offered through our program,
Plan B Support makes a cash donation on your behalf to Joy Junction. It does not cost you or Joy Junction anything to use the program.
For more information click
here
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Desperate and Homeless Woman Considered Taking Her Life Then She Found Joy Junction
It was about 9 p.m. on a January night five years ago when the reality of her situation hit Sabrina. She had nowhere to sleep that night.
Worn and desperate from the circumstances that had led to her homelessness that night, Sabrina said she knew she had to rest.
Sabrina said, “No streetwise pro, but a naïve and formerly sheltered woman both literally and figuratively, I had no one to ask and no options left.”
Sabrina thought about what to do next. She said, “Sitting in my ailing car, I cradled the pills that could dull some of the feelings but none of the reality. A normal person would take none or one. The addict in me would take 25 or 30. But the 100 in the bottle would solve it all. No cold uncomfortable nights in the car, at least none I'd remember. No regrets, awkward confessions or conversations.”
Sabrina turned on her radio, scanning the stations for some comfort that might help her delay doing what was on her mind.
Click [HERE] to read more.
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New Bathroom Construction
Pictures from Joy Junction!
Our bathroom construction project is well underway. Click the image below to view recent pictures taken of our progress. Thank you to everyone that has been involved, you are making a difference in Albuquerque!
Click image to view slideshow.
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The Face of Homelessness
Albuquerque resident Dr. Jeremy Reynalds is best known as the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter.
What is not so well known is that after emigrating to the United States he became homeless through unfortunate circumstances, got back on his feet with the help of the Lord and while running Joy Junction earned an undergraduate degree, a master’s in communication and a doctorate in intercultural education.
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Search the Internet and Help Joy Junction
While Joy Junction, New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter, fell short of its holiday fund raising target, there’s a way for you to help us get back on track.
What if Joy Junction earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support the homeless? Well, now it can!
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| GoodSearch.com logo |
GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get your search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!
GoodSearch.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.
Click [HERE] to read more.
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For the Latest News on Natalee Holloway and Aruba Go to
www.thenewsbreaker.com
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Joy Junction Transitional Housing Helps Homeless Families Reclaim Their Lives
Joy Junction’s transitional housing units are quietly helping homeless people reclaim their lives and become a part of mainstream community life.
Opened in mid-2004 the 26 units were originally half of the old Bandelier Hotel from White Rock, N.M.
Joy Junction Founder and CEO Dr. Jeremy Reynalds said the units make the difference between success and failure for some of Joy Junction’s residents.
“People living at the TLC (transitional living center) are really close to being independent, but they’re not quite there yet,” Reynalds said. “The TLC plays a vital part in transitioning people back to a totally independent lifestyle.”
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Albuquerque Community Rallies to Help Homeowner Forced to Live on the Streets
Defying every stereotype of the homeless, Joe Calkins was bubbling with a quiet undercurrent of excitement.
“It’s miraculous,” he said, gesturing to the crowd of people milling in and around his house. The included reporters, a city councilwoman and a slew of volunteers from the Homebuilders Association of Central New Mexico.
They were all there to kick off a project that once completed would ensure the now homeless homeowner Calkins could leave his life on the streets and again live in his house.
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Joy Junction Running Out of Food; Shelter Feeding almost 10,000 Meals a Month and Sheltering Over 300 People Nightly.
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Click to view video |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Homeless men, women and families continue in droves to call Joy Junction --Albuquerque’s largest emergency homeless shelter -- for a ride to warmth, safety and a hot meal.
Shelter officials say the two-decade old ministry has been feeding and sheltering more than 300 people nightly. That’s almost 10,000 meals a month and 9,000-plus nights of shelter.
These homeless men, women and children would have otherwise been forced to wonder where their next meal was coming from, and contend with life on Albuquerque’s streets.
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Mom
With Mother’s Day just around the corner, our thoughts obviously focus on “mom.”
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| My Mother, Father, Brother Tony and Myself (sitting) in an Undated Photo |
For this year’s celebration, let’s make sure that we do more than just buy mom a rose or two, take her out to dinner and go back to the way we’ve acted all year. Let’s make a resolution to start appreciating mom every day of the year while we still have her.
Here’s my mother’s day story. While I wrote it in 2000 I believe that it is still just as relevant this year as it was back then.
The man made his way slowly up the stairs to the second floor of the hospital where his mother was a patient in the geriatric unit. He walked through the ward, passing by a variety of elderly people in various states of apparent mental difficulties and physical decay.
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Easter Dinner at Joy Junction
Click to View |
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A Special Evening in Albuquerque
It was about 5:30 p.m. on a very warm, Cinco de Mayo evening. I had just come out of a busy convenience store and was returning to my car, a little lost in thought.
I recalled standing in line a few moments earlier, concerned for the people in front of me who were buying vast amounts of alcohol – not just a can or two of beer, but multiple 24 packs. What sort of life were they experiencing?
I wondered if those frequent visits to a store which I have somewhat cynically nicknamed “alcohol central” to some of the guests staying at Joy Junction (the homeless shelter where I am the CEO), would eventually result in increased clientele for the shelter. You can’t drink all that booze without it having a serious effect on your financial, spiritual and emotional health.
Arriving back at my car and opening the door, I noticed a man standing on the street corner holding a sign reading, “Need Help, Any Will Do.”
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Joy Junction CEO Once Homeless Turns 50 and Celebrates 25 Years of Working with New Mexico’s Homeless
The man who founded and runs New Mexico’s largest emergency homeless shelter is turning 50 and celebrating 25 years of continuous ministry to the state’s homeless population.
Joy Junction Founder and CEO Dr. Jeremy Reynalds, who was once homeless, began the Albuquerque-based Joy Junction in 1986. Prior to that he worked with the homeless in Santa Fe from 1982 through 1986.
Reynalds said, "It is hard to believe that Joy Junction is 21 years old. It seems like a short time ago that I came up the driveway of our 52-acre property wanting to reach out to homeless families with the love of Jesus Christ. I had no idea what adventures, struggles and trials would lie ahead."
Reynalds added, "The vision I had was for a refuge where the entire family unit could stay together at one of the most difficult times in their lives; assuring that the husbands and wives had the support of each other and the children, while attending schools in the area, could live in as normal a situation as possible."
Click [HERE] to read more.
Click [HERE] to purchase the book online.
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Going Nowhere Fast
“On a daily basis I drank whisky and Tequila. In one week I could put away two gallons of each. Life was going nowhere fast. I would drink to numb my pain over the loss of my brother's death. The more I drank, the more I hurt.”
Drinking was a daily mind-numbing experience to help dull the emotionally crippling pain that ravaged JoAnn daily after her brother’s death.
JoAnn (not her real name) said, “On a daily basis I drank whisky and Tequila. In one week I could put away two gallons of each. Life was going nowhere fast. I would drink to numb my pain over the loss of my brother’s death. The more I drank, the more I hurt. At one time I sought counseling, but it was very difficult and I was not able to deal with the pain yet.”
Click [HERE] to read more.
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Joy Junction Founder and Director Jeremy Reynalds’ new book has been described by publishers Cambria Press as “one of the most penetrating analyses of homelessness ever conducted in the USA.” 
