Mike's Story: Life After Prison
If you remember where we left off, Mike was serving prison time for violating probation. He was really trying to break his addiction cycle and live with accountability and staying sober. He and his girlfriend, Jamie, were part of our church serving and involved in discipleship up until he went to jail.
To get up to speed on the article that generated more traffic than we’ve ever had (by far), stop here to read the first part of the story, then hop back.
We have journeyed with both Jamie and Mike, one in person and the other through prison walls.
Jamie was renting a room at a drug house, the only place she could afford with her low income job. She didn’t have enough to live other own, and after Mike left for prison, Jamie was left alone in a bad situation. Her only friends were drug buddies. She was trapped in a place surrounded by users when all she wanted was to stay clean. I can tell you from experience it’s impossible to do the right thing having that temptation in your face each night.
Our discipleship groups wanted to help Jamie get out of that drug house as much as we wanted to improve Mike’s situation. She told us she’d never be free from that drug lifestyle. Imagine being trapped like that, no options in sight, with an outlook that your current situation is predictive of the rest of your life.
Drug lifestyles come with constant crises. Active addicts, or even those surrounded by it, are constantly exposed to chaos and drama. But we soon witnessed that Mike going to prison actually opened doors for both of them to get free.
I always share with people that prison was the best thing that happened to me. I wouldn’t recommend anyone ever go, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without my prison experience. It led me to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior, to decide I did not ever want to be there again, and to seek help in the form of long term treatment. This is my prayer for Mike.
Despite being in prison, Mike continued to live out his commitment to Jesus and build a better life for himself. He called regularly and we continued discipleship over the phone. In this, we worked on a plan to help him on a path of freedom. Mike and Jamie both agreed to go into a recovery house, which is a sober living environment shared with others also in recovery. We set it up with Paramount House, who has one woman's house and two men’s houses. Greenhouse Project partners with Paramount House to offer free recovery coaching to all of the residents. We knew they would be in a good spot, safe and well supported there.
To get Mike to Paramount House, we had to submit a request in front of a judge. We connected with his public defender and wrote a letter verifying Mike's progress and our commitment to him. Paramount Men’s House wrote a letter as well. When the day of court came, Pastor Donny and I attended, ready to advocate on Mike’s behalf. The judge read our letters and made the decision to release Mike to the recovery house!
Throughout this process, we never forgot about Jamie; we created a plan to help her too. The goal was to get her out of the space she was living in without any drama from the other people living there. Jamie packed her belongings and we took her to Paramount Women’s House. Jamie is now living in a sober living environment, with real friends and positive people in her life.
Mike and Jamie are both on a path to life change. Mike is working and saving money with the hopes of building a stable future. Both Mike and Jamie are attending recovery meetings, as well as our weekly church service and discipleship groups.
I remember so clearly what it was like to be lost and broken. It is because of my past that when someone like Mike is ready for change, they know they can knock on my door at 10pm with faith that Greenhouse will help them as best we can. We truly care about those we work with.
This is just one story of many we have at the Greenhouse Project. Lives are being touched all the time. We believe as we seek God and pour into his people we will witness more life transformation.
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NEED RECOVERY?
We have been there. Greenhouse offers FREE Addiction Recovery support. If you or someone you know needs help, please reach out to info@ghproject.org today.