My job as a resident manager of a Christian Transitional Housing Program can be hard at times. One of the hardest things about my job is not having any real say in who comes in the door. Those decisions are made by the Ministry Director and Program Director without me having any say. They perform an interview and based on that make a decision. Being a Christian is not a prerequisite, however being open to the idea of Jesus as Lord is.

Sometimes they let a guy in that I get a bad feeling of right off the bat, and today was one of those days.

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Meet the new guy...

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I was told yesterday that we were getting a new guy today. I was told that he was homeless and very thankful for the opportunity to come into our program. So far so good. My boss then told me that he would be here today after the noon A.A. meeting...Not normal, but O.K...

Today at the noon A.A. meeting I was a little late getting in and when I finally did, the first thing I heard was a 10 minute diatribe that seemed like a lot of grandstanding and uniqueness to me. I was not impressed.

After the meeting I introduced myself and took the new guy in the house to give him my standard orientation. He seemed to be attentive and willing to listen.

O.K....maybe my first thought was wrong, that is common in recovery....

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Then again...

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Later, the new guy asked if we could give him a ride to where he used to live so he could get his bike. Of course, we want to get our residents to break with old playgrounds as quickly as possible, so I said yes. On the way there he asked me about how the staff (As if I wasn't) would feel about him buying some new boots. I told him that wouldn't be a big deal, but I was starting to realize, this guy was supposed to have been homeless and here we are at the house he was staying at, and he was supposed to be broke, but apparently he was not.

I asked him if he had income, thinking that maybe he was on disability or something, and he told me he had about $600 to get a car. I asked him if he had his license, and he said no.

At this time I asked him if he had told the Program Manager about this money when he came in and he said no. I asked him if he had been asked, and he again said no.

O.K., fair enough.

I told him that I had to tell my boss, and he was clearly not happy.

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About those boots...

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Of course I am nobody's father here, so I had the driver take us to Burlington Coat Factory as the new guy asked. Not only did he buy a pair of boots, but he also bought a pair of shoes as well. This in itself is not a big deal, but when we were checking out and he tried to give me a $10 bill, I kinda took it to be like a bribe.

Right then I made it clear that my job was serious to me. I told him that I could not take any money from him, and he said that he just wanted me to know I was appreciated. I told him that he could show me his appreciation by doing the right thing and working to make his a better life and an example to others.

I really hope I am wrong about this guy...

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Please Read...

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If you have enjoyed this post and would like to read more about a hard-core drug addict that has been redeemed by Jesus, please follow and support me. Also, we have succeeded in creating a chat room on Discord for Recovery and Addiction issues! Please go --HERE-- to join and be a part of our online support network.

My Bosses have given me permission to mention the name of our Ministry in my blogs. I work at Endeavor House Ministries Inc. in Lansing, Michigan. If you look us up you can see us on Facebook, and at https://endeavorhouseministries.com You can donate to the Ministry through PayPal if you want to.

Thank you and God Bless!

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