Johnathon<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first walked through the doors of in2Action, I thought to myself, \u201cI\u2019m not going to make it, so I might as well just give up now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those are the words of Johnathon, who came to the in2Action program in November 2019. \u201cI didn\u2019t see any potential in myself. I was thinking, there\u2019s no way I\u2019m going to make it.\u201d Now, 2\u00bd months later, Johnathon has a whole new perspective toward himself and toward life. He actually sees a future for himself, and it\u2019s getting brighter by the day.<\/p>\n
But it hasn\u2019t been easy. It took Johnathon about three weeks to finally feel at ease here \u2013 which isn\u2019t unusual at all. (Many of our residents battle with severe anxiety upon their release from prison. Research is now affirming what ex-offenders have known for a long time: Post-Incarceration Syndrome is a relatively new term associated with the after-effects of prison traumas.) \u201cWhen I first got here, everyone was so polite and eager to help and supportive; people actually cared about me\u2026and it was overwhelming.\u201d Finally, he started feeling comfortable and content here, as he began learning to trust others.<\/p>\n
A major challenge for Johnathon has been missing his family and wishing he could be with them \u2013 even though he knows that the environment back home is a very unhealthy one, to say the least. Johnathon knew if he left in2Action prematurely, it would most certainly mean an eventual return to prison. (He notes: \u201cI didn\u2019t like prison the first two times; I probably wouldn\u2019t like it the third time!\u201d) It has been a struggle to resist the temptation to leave in2Action, but he knew it was the \u201cmature and responsible\u201d thing to do. He jokes, \u201cthose are two words I never would have used to describe myself before!\u201d At times it has also been a struggle to resist the drugs that once had such stronghold over his life. So far, however, he has prevailed over the old addictions. \u201cBut the temptations never go away,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Perhaps his greatest challenge has been his nervousness about finding a job. He quips: \u201cI don\u2019t have the best track record; I sure wouldn\u2019t hire me!\u201d Dwelling on those thoughts and on his lack of self-confidence led Johnathon to his lowest point while at in2Action, several weeks ago. He was so down-in-the-dumps about it and so hopeless of finding gainful employment that he came close to throwing in the towel. At a time when Johnathon had just about made up his mind to leave, his house manager approached him with a question: \u201cAre you interested in an opportunity to get on-the-job training through a new work experience program?\u201d Johnathon jumped at the chance, and it has been a game-changer for him.<\/p>\n
Through a partnership with the Central Workforce Development Board and the Job Center, Johnathon has been working for in2Action as a Maintenance trainee over the past several weeks. Another resident, Alan Bonnot, serves as the in2Action Maintenance Supervisor and has been training Johnathon in a variety of skills related to maintaining and repairing residential housing units. Johnathon says the experience has built up his self-esteem and has been a life-changer for him. The icing on the cake? Today (as of this writing) he accepted a full-time position with a local HVAC business as a technician! Needless to say, he is elated!<\/p>\n
Johnathon credits his transformation to the support he has received at in2Action and the people who care about him. He also says having God and the Bible back in his life has made all the difference. \u201cBeing here has been a life-changing and amazing experience. It has shown me that I am somebody and I\u2019m worth something and if I want something bad enough I have to work for it. I love being here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnathon is looking forward to starting his new job, having his own place, and eventually getting his driver’s license back. (That is another huge obstacle, which will take some time.) But that\u2019s OK; he notes: \u201cThere\u2019s no easy way to live. Why continue down the same path that gets you nowhere? It\u2019s time to do some hard things.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Johnathon \u201cWhen I first walked through the doors of in2Action, I thought to myself, \u201cI\u2019m not going to make it, so I might as well just give up now.\u201d Those are the words of Johnathon, who came to the in2Action program in November 2019. \u201cI didn\u2019t see any potential in myself. I was thinking, there\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":5671,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resident-remarks"],"yoast_head":"\n