Community Awareness Event…
We hosted our Community Awareness Event last Thursday. The Holy Spirit was among us as staff and our friends shared their stories. It was a blessed gathering. One highlight was hearing from Chaplain Lynn and our friend Jewell. “We serve a lot of people that others have given up on,” Lynn said. “I show up to work everyday because I think to myself if God didn’t give up on me, who am I not to show up for them.” Jewell is one of our friends that Lynn shows up for. His story is quite powerful. As a young man he watched helplessly as his father beat his mother. His father eventually killed her. This weighed heavy on Jewell and he turned to drugs and alcohol for comfort. “I didn’t want to do drugs and drink, but I did it to take the pain away,” Jewell said. One day, several months ago, he decided to end it all. He drinking outside a gas station and saw a bus coming down the road. He prepared himself to step forward, but his legs wouldn’t move. He stepped back from the curb and looked across the street and noticed the Lord’s Gym Family Activity Center. At that time the center was closed for renovations but he found Lord’s Gym staff just a few buildings down serving food. He went in. Sat a bit and then approached Lynn. “I need help,” Jewell told him. “I got you man,” Lynn replied. And today Jewell is 5 months clean. You can hear more about Jewell and other stories by visiting LordsGymMInistires.org. You can view our entire Community Awareness Event at the top of the homepage, it will play after the Fox19 segment on the Family Activity Center.