A Good Samaritan Saved Dustin’s Life
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength
and with all your mind, and, love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 NIV
Newly homeless, Dustin was walking along the East Beltline in the hot August weather, carrying all that he owned. A stranger who saw Dustin knew something was not right and his spirit was guided to pull over and offer assistance. When asked if he could take Dustin somewhere, all Dustin could say was “I have no where to go.”
No where to go. Imagine the fear and panic linked to that phrase. Dustin was walking but had no idea where to go. No clue as to where he would sleep that night.
This kind stranger gathered Dustin’s things and drove him immediately to Guiding Light. That was seven months ago. Today, Dustin is a “graduate” of the Achieve Program, where he gained job preparedness, Microsoft certification, resume building skills, and interviewing techniques. His next steps will be to find a full-time job, preferably in sales and customer service.
Currently, Dustin has to take a hiatus from his job search while he recovers from heart surgery. Through the process of addiction recovery here at Guiding Light, Dustin learned that he needed a valve replacement due to a heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a hole between the two heart ventricles. Dustin is expected to have additional surgeries in the next few years. He recently shared with us that, “If it wasn’t for this place, I would never have realized how bad my heart problem was.” Dustin will have about six months of recovery, which he will do right here at Guiding Light, so that he can continue with his recovery “through the guiding light of God’s Spirit…” – [Guiding Light Mission Statement.]
Dustin loves to share his story and calls the kind stranger he met on a late August afternoon, his “Good Samaritan who saved my life.”
Each man who comes through our doors needs a good neighbor to show him God’s unwavering love. Please donate to Guiding Light today and help provide healing to the men who come here with no where else to go. You can be like the Good Samaritan who cared for a stranger who was left beaten, alongside of the road.