2025 April #2
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the environment seemed to have a physical weight? Were the people, words, music, or whatever else was present, simply too heavy to bear? Was the pressure on your heart causing anxiety, insecurity, or fear?
Sometimes places or situations like that have a detrimental effect, over time, on a person’s mood and/or mindset. Their behavior and way of thinking causes a negative impact on their choices, and that result affects everyone else around them. When negativity is prominent in their life, bad habits usually develop.
Realizing they need a change in their lives is a great first step. When negative situations are seen for what they are, the person may choose to seek a totally different environment to clear their head. Limiting contact with certain people or locations is a good second step. But, when that does not seem to help remove the negativity problem, it may be best to change the entire atmosphere by removing themselves altogether.
That’s when a person usually needs to put physical distance between them and the situation. They may intentionally choose to surround themselves with positive-only people, to keep them from returning to the same type of environment…and that’s okay.
It takes a while to reorder the way thought patterns naturally enter the mind. “Reprogramming” thoughts and habits takes careful planning.
That’s where our guest, Emilio (not his real name), found himself. He needed to leave and start over.
Here’s his story:
I arrived in Albuquerque with no direction or place to stay. Because of the people I had been with, I didn’t have a very good background or outlook on life. So, my thoughts of being helped were pretty low. But, “help” was what I was looking for. Even though I was free to do whatever I wanted, I had no place to do it – no place to call home.
I needed a new beginning…
I didn’t have very many things to call my own when I left those people and their negative attitudes…but I finally had enough sense to know I needed out of there. Since I didn’t have much in life, anyway, I figured having less to carry during my journey would make it easier.
After being in the city a few days, I heard about Joy Junction and decided to give them a try. I was used to walking, so I walked here [Joy Junction]. When I got here, I was welcomed and they got me settled in. Then, I was told about the Christ in Power Program. Since I was looking for some way to get myself back into “the land of the living,” I decided to join it. I was tired of feeling empty inside.
The Bible study course has been a lifesaver for me. I have learned so much about God. There’s something inside of me, now, that is very special. It causes me to feel good about myself, and moves me to help others. I’m a different person.
The staff guided me through the process of getting an ID card, a social security card, and a voter’s card. They also helped me get signed up for Medicare. I am getting back into life and am progressing with each day. This place has given me the new beginning I was looking for.
Embracing a new or different opportunity is, sometimes, the right answer. When a person is homeless, seeking to change that situation is definitely the right answer.
We want to be a part of the solution.
A fresh new start is something we offer to every person who enters our shelter. Each person has the choice to work hard and try to help themselves, or not. It is our desire to encourage them as much as possible so they will choose the path that will allow them to transform from a homeless existence to a healthy, new life.
As we move into the Easter season, “new life” is on our minds. It is our desire to work hard to break the cycle of homelessness. We believe it all starts with a heart change.
Our program teaches that a heart change comes by acknowledging sin in a person’s life and asking God for forgiveness of those sins. Then, their mind begins to “catch up” with their heart’s decision, and the person begins to understand that they need to surrender their past to God, start fresh, and follow His ways.
Let’s join together and embrace the possibility of a new start for each of our guests. We appreciate prayers for wisdom, guidance, and provision as we allow God to work through us to touch the lives of each person we encounter – whether that’s from our shelter campus, or from our Lifeline of Hope mobile food/hygiene trucks. We are here by God’s design and strive to do as He directs.
Thank you for your support and have a blessed Easter!
