Life After Homelessness

It’s easy to lose sight of who you are with so many things in this world, vying for your attention. Aaron was no exception. A product of the street and a life of poor choices, he began to identify with these labels: lost, homeless, and unredeemable. But Aaron’s name suggested otherwise; exalted and strong. It would take several years to discover his true nature, the one God created him to be. Thankfully he found his way to Wayside Cross Ministries.

Aaron grew up in the South Side of Chicago. Although he had a lot of family, there were also a lot of bad influences surrounding him…

“My childhood and household were all right, but there was a lot of bad stuff I just couldn’t avoid. Eventually, I started to hang out with the wrong people.”

When he went to high school, Aaron got involved with a gang and spent most of his time in trouble with the law. “My biggest challenge was partying, drinking all night, and women… that’s all I really knew.”

       It’s like trading the sound of gunshots all night long to being shot at yourself…

…Eventually everything just starts feeling normal.”

Life got really rough in Aaron’s early 20s. His lifestyle eventually led him deeper into a seedy world with a revolving door at the end.

“Next thing I knew, I was in and out of jail for several years. Just another punk gangbanger… I needed to find a way out.”

“I am the Lord your God and there is no other.” ~ Isaiah 45:5

One day, Aaron finally decided he’d had enough and found a job in a local tattoo shop. But even then he got involved in more unhealthy relationships with women. That’s when he started drinking heavily. “I ended up homeless in Chicago and had to sleep on the Red Line . . . . That was the worst time.”

But God had another plan…

As luck would have it, someone came up to Aaron while he was sleeping on the streets. His name was Mad Dog. He handed Aaron a pamphlet about Wayside Cross Ministries and said, “It looks like you could use a little help. Come check this place out….”

“That was almost like a calling card from God,” Aaron said.

Later Aaron found out Mad Dog was just a street name for Steve Madawick, Senior Chaplain of New Life Corrections Ministry, one of the six divisions of Wayside’s Bible-based recovery and transitional housing programs.

Desperate for change, Aaron came to Wayside looking for hope and an opportunity for a better life.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 3:14

The biggest transformation he experienced was surrendering his life to Jesus. Here, our classes in Bible study taught him the importance of self-control and how to have healthy relationships based on respect and trust. “They taught me not to look down on people, because God is the true judge.”

“But they also taught me to change three things: People, Places, and Things. To build my life on the solid foundation of Christ.”

At Wayside’s 4-phase recovery program, people experience more than recovery and transitional housing. They have a job-training program as well as help to earn their GED and recover their driver’s license and social security card. Graduates that are working again even have an option to stay longer so they can save for an apartment of their own.

These days, the sound of gunfire is a distant memory. Gone are the desires for alcohol and unhealthy relationships. “I have a new respect for people and a greater respect for myself.”

Today, Aaron has graduated from the program and is working again. “I’m committed to doing it right this time,” he says with a smile. He’s even saving his money to go to barber school and dreams of opening his own business before he turns 35.

“For I know the plans I have prepared for you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future” ~ Jeremiah 29:11

He has a reason to be thankful!

“I’m just thankful to Wayside for taking me in. They took the time and energy to provide me with teachers and a mentor to steer me down the right path! They took me in when I had nowhere to go. They helped me get a job. Get my life back together.”

“Looking back on it now, if I hadn’t come to Wayside, I would be dead. That’s the road I was headed down. You made it possible for someone like me to have a new life.”

Your continuous prayers and support give real hope to the broken and recovering. They provide a shot at a brand new life—one built on the solid foundation of Christ.

If you would like to help more people like Aaron, click here.  Need help? Call 630-892-4239

Give Hope. Transform one more life today!

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