2025 November #2
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
When a person tries and tries and tries…and still there is no way out of the predicament, a point is reached where help becomes necessary.
The “end of the line” has come for the person’s own efforts and resources.
Asking for help should not be anything to be ashamed of. We all need help with something from time to time. Still…many times, not asking for help is the choice made.
Some may feel it’s a sign of weakness to ask for help. Others may feel people will see them as being incompetent or inadequate. Still others may feel people judge them and think they are failures in life.
Those are some pretty harsh accusations, especially when the reason for the circumstance was not part of the person’s plan. Sometimes, unexpected things happen and then a “snowball” effect begins to increase the intensity of the situation.
That seems to be the situation with Jerry and Diane (not their real names), two of our guests.
Here’s their story:
We felt like the world was falling down around us. We had a home, but the landlord unexpectedly sold the house and made us move out. We tried living out of our car, but after a few months, it broke down. Then, we lost our jobs.
We kept trying to make things work on our own – looking for jobs, finding food, trying to stay clean. But, when winter hit, it was just too much. We realized our situation had to change.
We had no other choice…we had to get help.
Joy Junction had helped in the past, many years ago, so we chose to come back here. We knew we would be safe and warm with an actual bed to sleep in. We were looking forward to some consistent meals, too.
We are not sure about the path God has planned for us, but we have learned that He does have one. We are working hard to get our lives back on track. We help out wherever there’s a need on campus and we are feeling good about our future.
We’re very thankful for this place and we’re taking things one day at a time.
Asking for help is a logical choice when the unexpected happens, as life is full of surprises and we may never know what is around the next corner. Helping people is what we do, so we welcome those who come to our doorstep.
Sometimes, being homeless is just a fact of life. It’s not fun and it’s hard, but it is not the end of the world. Joy Junction was founded because people, who were just trying to get through life, had some unexpected things happen that caused them to lose their home and belongings.
Having a place to sleep and eat while they get their circumstance turned around is the main reason for our existence.
It is our pleasure to help them through the rough patch that has disrupted their lives.
We strive to offer our guests encouragement and motivation to move forward through our life recovery program. An integral part of the transformation process, during the program participation, is to learn how to uplift each other. We try hard to reinforce all that is taught in the course by showing love and understanding throughout each day.
However, when a person is homeless, life is definitely looked at differently. For example, the holidays can seem harder to get through than other times during the year, because people tend to gather with family and friends to celebrate.
Homeless people unquestionably notice that they no longer have those experiences. When they are without those two groups of people, it’s like a kick in the gut during special occasions. It can leave an empty feeling inside.
We want to help fill that void by being a temporary “family” for them this Thanksgiving season. No matter how hard life gets, we want people to know that we care about them.
We hope this holiday season is full of meaningful moments and cheerful gatherings!
