Glean Up Empowerment
By: Matthew Anderson, Glean Up Program Manager
G went from homeless and living on the street, to having a CDL, and living in a man-camp!
Our friend G became homeless over two years ago. He and his wife separated, but at least he had a job driving a truck with a Commercial Driver’s License. While still working after their separation, he had a bad fall and ended up in the hospital with severe back trauma. Though he thankfully managed to avoid surgery, his injuries did require extensive physical therapy. In the meantime, G unfortunately lost his job driving a truck, which ultimately put him on the street.
Once he was up and moving again, and ready to work, G found that getting his CDL reinstated was a greater task after becoming homeless. Aside from obtaining his ID anew, G had also developed high blood pressure and so could not meet the medical certification requirement for his CDL even though he knew he could pass the written part of the exam “no problem”.
I am the new Glean Up Manager (Matthew) and was happy to be able to simply point G to the Coleman Family Clinic who helped G get his much-needed blood pressure medications. He worked diligently to get off the street and to lower his blood pressure. He never complained about working with the Glean Up Crew, even in the cold.
His blood pressure medications made an immense difference in G’s attitude and physical appearance and was feeling much better even after the first week on his new medicines. G loved his first cup of coffee in the morning, but at my urging, he even gave up that once-a-day cup so that he could keep his blood pressure low in order to pass his DOT physical and meet all the requirements for his CDL.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
When the time came, I took G to the DPS, and G ended up passing his driver’s test and earning his Commercial Driver’s License on the first try. With a few more rides around town for an interview, a fingerprint background test, a drug test, and to pick up his uniforms, G found a job that would not only give him a company truck to drive, but also put him up in a man-camp, effectively getting him into a well-paid job and off the street in one fell swoop! I could not have been more proud of G’s efforts. With a couple of boxes of food from the dear amazing staff at Mission Agape, G could comfortably make it until he got paid for the first time. I recently even had the privilege of taking G to cash his first paycheck!
G is normally quite hard to read, and a bit of a stoic. The most he would really say about his experience of homelessness came with a long pause, and a straightforward but choked up “it’s just not good… for your mind… to be on the street”.
When I took G to his first day of work, I picked up (gasp) a cup of coffee for him. I told him it was a celebration, so it was okay. I was so very excited to get to take him to work, knowing everything he had been through and how hard he had worked to get where he was. Even G could not help but beam with joy at his accomplishments, to smile from ear to ear, once he could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. He even teared up a bit after I prayed for him again, then gripped my hand as he was getting out of the car and looking at his feet, he told me “The Field’s Edge helped me when I needed it the most.”
I reminded G that the reason Christians love is because Jesus Christ loved us first, and that God showed His love for us in that He died for us while we were still His enemies.
G is working and off of the street, but he hopes to reunite with his wife, and to be close to his two sons, so please keep our friend G in your prayers.
“We love, because He first loved us.”