Young kids are often plagued with sleepless nights because they have convinced themselves there is a monster in the closet or under the bed. It can be paralyzing. They don’t dare open the door or look under the bed. They will sit awake, scared, and alone because their imagination has run wild. They believe the lies and tricks their mind plays on them. I have found that many mission residents are doing the same thing.
A “monster” lives in the closet of their lives. For example, one of our long-term mission residents was walking to work late at night, through all sorts of weather because he did not have a driver’s license. He had a large savings, no debt, and no criminal history. He had been in Oregon for about four years, moving here from New York. I asked him why he did not have his license and he responded by telling me he had a bunch of fines in New York and that it was going to be a big hassle to figure them out.
It took me about ten minutes on my laptop to search his name and what he owed on the New York DMV website. I discovered that all his fines that had kept him from driving for over four years totaled just fifty dollars! Two minutes later we paid them online with his debit card. It took all of fifteen minutes and fifty dollars to clear his license. Within ten days, he had his license and bought a car. It was awesome to see his excitement with getting the freedom to drive again.
Often, my job at the Grants Pass Gospel Rescue Mission is to open closet doors, look under the bed, and expose the made-up monsters that can end up controlling certain areas of the resident’s lives. Nearly every time, the imagined calamity is far worse than the reality. I might not have the outfit or gadgets but some days I am a true Ghostbuster! (Que catchy intro music)
By: Bobby Galli, Men’s Coordinator