2026 Summer
By a Joy Junction Staff Member (JBF)
Life is full of ups and downs for our emotions. We feel good one moment and then, the next moment, the feeling is gone. Sometimes, we can feel like we are on a roller coaster ride.
For our emotions, change can be a good thing and feel nice, or it can be a bad thing…and feel scary. The up and down of the “roller coaster ride” depends on what the change is. Usually, sudden, surprising changes are not accepted as pleasant. In fact, they can often cause our heart to race.
That’s not a fun situation for most people, as calmness is a much more enjoyable feeling.
But, things happen, and unfortunately, there are times when the shock to our system from unexpected happenings can produce negative thoughts. It could also cause a person to spiral out of control with feelings of anxiety, worry, depression, or fear.
Instead of choosing that route, it’s usually a good option to choose to “problem-solve” the situation. It’s a better plan to decide to respond to a situation with a calm demeanor, instead of choosing to react with the first thing that pops into mind.
That’s not always easy, though.
One of our guests, Gwen (not her real name), was hit with several unexpected things at once. She felt herself spiraling down to a place that was not healthy, so she chose to make a hard decision.
Here’s her story:
I lost my job…which means I lost my housing. It may not have happened at the same moment, but they both caused me to become homeless. I tried, but I couldn’t get hired for another job in time to save my apartment. In fact, I didn’t find another job at all.
I didn’t have the type of family who would welcome me in, either. They are very chaotic people. I needed peace of mind and answers for my next step – as I was also grieving the loss of my dad.
I could tell I was moving into depression. Too many things were hitting me at once.
I had no direction, and I was hurting deeply…
…and just didn’t care if I lived or died. But, I knew enough to know I needed help.
I had heard about Joy Junction, and since I had nowhere to go, I decided to come here. After I settled in for a few days, I was told about the Christ in Power Program. It sounded like something that could help me, so I joined the class. It has really opened my eyes.
Being able to truly understand that God loves me has been a huge factor to my ability to move forward. I believe God used all that I have gone through to point me toward Him. I have a deep relationship with Him, now, and I plan to share that with others.
I have felt loved and accepted here. It took a good while, but I feel ready to face the world again.
There are many circumstances that put unexpected curves into our “expected straight paths” of life. Most of the time, we have no control over the bumps and hurdles we encounter along life’s path.
We have all experienced “pot hole” challenges in the road of our lives.
But, when the opportunity to move past the challenges presents itself, we hope people will choose that route. There are times when that means turning to a homeless shelter for help.
Our shelter offers a Christ In Power Program, which is a 12-step Bible study curriculum to guide people toward learning how to make better decisions. It’s an avenue that has been chosen by many of our guests, and it has helped them move forward in their life’s journey.
Each one of our guests is important to us. They are welcome to stay with us for as long as they truly need help.
We strive to get each adult guest to the point of being able to survive on their own – and we are thrilled for them when the time comes for them to leave our campus to go to a job and home of their own.
That’s the whole point of why Joy Junction was founded by Dr. Jeremy Reynalds. The shelter is to be a temporary home for those who are in the process of getting their lives back on track.
The mission of our ministry is to encourage and lift up those who have fallen on hard times and simply need a helping hand for a short period of their life. Our program provides emotional tools for them to carry with them as they navigate the next steps of their journey.
We will continue Jeremy’s legacy as long as God allows, with the help of compassionate people (our wonderful donors and volunteers) who care about the homeless as we do.
We appreciate all the many people over the years who believed (and still believe) in our mission to help turn homeless lives around.
Let’s join together to continue the work of stopping homelessness, one life at a time.
