Matthew 18:12 "If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won't he leave the
ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?"
Have you ever had a time in your life when nothing seemed to go right? There is no joy because it seems everything
you do doesn't work or those you have invested time in don't turn out the way you expected them to?
The last part of June and the beginning of July were just that for me. There were men at KBPA that were struggling in
their addictions to point of using again. Another man was detained for failing a polygraph that from everybody's point of view was doing extremely well. I heard of others that had lived at KBPA that
were again using. Men that I thought were well on their way. They had good jobs, good environments, and they were men that seemed motivated to stay clean, but hadn't.
The disappointment was starting to take its toll and I began wondering if all the effort was worth it? I talked to
others in ministry that have experienced the same thing. Not that this made me happy, but the fact others in ministry had experienced the same disappointments reassures me that disappointment is part
of ministry. I had a pastor friend of mine tell me once: "This job would be a lot easier if I didn't have to deal with people." He was joking of course, but there is a twinge of truth in that
statement.
The men at KBPA also realized that I was struggling with this. Maybe it was because I was a little, okay, a lot less
patient with them. This is when one of the men called me and encouraged to me "remember the one." He said, and he is right, "that if what KBPA does only makes a difference for one man, it will all be
worth it." The truth of the matter is that it does make a difference, and for more than one. This is what I need to remember.
I would like to tell you of one such man. His name is Richard. Rich was released last December in the hardest month of
the year to find a job. But this didn't stop him from gaining employment. He got a job working at the Event Center setting up and tearing down for different events. He would get up early to get to
work and sometimes work all night shoveling snow. Because of legal reasons he was never was able to get his driver's license, but between his feet, a bike, and rides from others, he would always make
it to work.
Things didn't always go so smooth between Rich and me. There were things that he didn't want to do in the beginning that
he had agreed to do when he applied to be a part of KBPA. But as we continued to communicate, and we worked through these issues.
Rich is a welder and was turned down for a couple welding jobs because of his past. Rick didn't give up and found a
welding job that he enjoyed and that paid him well. While living at KBPA Rich attended bible studies and church, stayed sober and clean, and rekindled his relationship with his wife. At the end of
August Rich flatted his number and was able to move back in with his wife. He left KBPA in good standing and with money in his pocket.
I need to remember "the ones" that do well.
Please to continue praying for the men, board and staff of KBPA. Thank you for your prayers and
support.
Jeff Haverhals - Director
-- From prison walls to the freedom found in Christ's boundaries --
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