Before men are accepted into residency in our Discipleship Homes, we conduct an interview with them to hear their life story and desires for the future in greater detail than written correspondence can allow. While connecting on future goals, men usually tell us of a particular skill or trade that they have done in the past that they want to get back into but don’t have the connections or tools to make it happen as soon as they would desire. Recently, when an applicant shared his desire to get back into the diesel mechanic field, he listed many barriers that would limit how soon he would be able to be doing that work again. In an effort to encourage him and plan ahead, I asked him that if we accepted him into residency, would he be ok with me advocating and reaching out to some people I know that may be helpful in his employment hopes. He said, “Of course!”
We ended up extending the residency invitation to him while we were on the phone, so the next morning I figured I’d start making some calls to see what options were available in the community for him. The business owner I called answered and immediately shared a number of things happening in life & work, as well as the great need for some mechanics, then eventually said he was excited to hear what I was inquiring about. To my amazement, this business owner told me he had a partially written out text message that he intended to send me a couple hours earlier asking if there were any men that he could mentor and support through employment as a mechanic. I couldn’t tell who was more surprised by the phone call! It has been about 7 years since someone from our homes has worked out there for him. We both marveled at God’s precise timing with this. This employer shared that he is willing to pick up & drop off our future resident to assist with transportation, supply him with tools to start off, and mentor him to get back up to speed in the trade.
A few days later, this future resident called me to check in about some other details. It was an absolute joy to let him know what had developed and the opportunity he has to reestablish himself in his career. He was in awe and couldn’t express his gratitude enough.
We are so thankful for God’s providential care and the people He uses in the community to accomplish that. There are so many amazing and skilled people coming out of incarceration and it is such a blessing to have employers that see these returning men and women as assets to their businesses and the community at large.
Opportunities Ahead For A New NCM Resident!