We have been supporting this particular guest for some time. They have a chaotic lifestyle, with lots going on and have made mistakes in the past. They have tried and tried in recent years but their battles with addiction, mental health struggles, isolation and terrible loneliness have pushed them to breaking point. We spent some time with this guest recently, just chatting and encouraging them and trying to find some way through their troubles. Then, one day he was with us at Mathew’s House, and he just broke down. He’s a big guy and it was really sad to see him as his tears started to flow. He just wanted to give up on life.
One of the team just sat with him and listened and found him the hope for that day to hold on to. We continued to encourage him for a few more minutes as we talked through things and invited him to one day join the team at Matthew’s House and become a volunteer.
As we were finishing that conversation, he said, “You must be doing something good here because I don’t cry with anyone else. I don’t cry.” That day, as he held back more tears and he said, “I nearly gave up today, but I’ll keep going. I just need people, I just need something to do, something to live for. Today you have given me the hope to keep going. Thank you for all you do. You really are saving people’s lives. Not just mine; I know a lot of people who say you at Matthew’s House have helped to save their life.