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​"I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest."

Jesus Christ - John 4:35

A Lifehouse Testimonial Update

By Jeffrey Ian Wilson

It has been 27 months since Rocky Meadows opened his arms to a homeless and hopeless man. I was Lifehouse resident #2. Scared, near broke and alone. I never could have imagined how much my life has changed since that cold, wet December day in 2011. Even now as I write this third update for Rocky, I find myself lacking the words to aptly describe how I feel today. I have become a husband and father for the first time. I have a wonderful job in Atlanta now as an artist for a video game company. I am a loved, respected and a trusted member of my family and society. Most of all I have found a faith in God which sustains me. 2013 was the most wonderful and trying year in my life. I had my first child, a boy on Father’s Day in June 2013. Shortly after I lost my job. I was slowly losing every material possession I had. Without the aid of family I would have become homeless. As a husband and new father, I was ashamed of my inability to provide for my family and slipped into periodic depression and despair. Thanks be to God I married the right woman. She would always tell me that everything was a part of God’s plan and all I had to do was hold on, not lose faith and remember that I was loved and needed, regardless of my ability to financially provide for my family.

In October 2013, we packed what few possessions we could on a truck and left Los Angeles to drive cross country to live with my parents in Alabama. Returning home was not easy. I frequently argued with my family and became more and more frustrated. Again my wife brought me to Church and I prayed. During all of this, I never lost hope. I knew one day I would find a job again. I learned to live on very little through my parent’s love and generosity. I was offered a position with a university in Alabama only to turn it down because I knew I would not pass the security clearance requirements. This was a real punch in the gut. To come so close, only to start over again was a hard pill to swallow. Finally in January I was offered a position of a lifetime with benefits which cover all of my family’s needs. At the same time I was offered another job in San Diego which paid nearly $120,000 a year. All of 2013 hand built up to this moment where I had to make the right choice for my family and not just myself. Working with Sony in San Diego would have been a career opportunity of a lifetime but it was only a contract position for no more than 12 months. I was left with a choice, stability or money, which would it be?

Stability. All of the joy and suffering of 2013 had purpose. God had led me to decision where I chose family over personal satisfaction. Little did I know that accepting the position in Atlanta would push aside all of those fears and leave me with a peace of mind I never knew existed. My wife was right. God was in the details. When I made the decision to move to Atlanta. Everything started falling in place all at once. When I needed money it was there, almost like magic. Deposits paid, movers paid, new furniture and a new beautiful condo near the river here in Roswell, GA. My first morning was one of true contentment and peace for I remember seeing deer in the back which brought a smile to my face.

When we stop trying to force our will and accept where we are, life becomes well, life. The love of a beautiful wife and a smile from my son fill my life with joy but sometimes life needs a frown and stern words of honesty from that same wife as well as the seemingly endless cries from a frightened child in the middle of the night. It is at these times I find the true measure of who I am. Life is not meant to be wonderful all of the time. This is the folly of all those with addiction issues. I believe that now some measure of suffering is necessary to bring us a closer appreciation of what joy and happiness truly mean. In hindsight, losing everything again was necessary to begin a new life. And what a wonderful new life it is.

And I have known true joy, love and hope.

God bless you all and thank you Rocky for your friendship and brotherly love.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey Wilson
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  • Home
    • Our Vision
  • Program Information
  • Staff
  • Program Locations
  • Contact Us
  • Donate Online
  • Charitable Partnerships
  • Past News & Events
  • Testimonials
  • Previous Events