*Name changed for reasons of privacy.

The veteran was hooked on drugs, but Christ Jesus delivered him through the loving compassion of His people.

Dwain* was twenty-six years old. As an infant, he lost his soldier father in combat. Everyone who knew his Asian mother said she was a wonderful woman who loved the Lord. She had done her best to bring up Dwain according to her beliefs and, in most respects she succeeded. Sadly, in his early teens she also died. Then he had only himself.

After completing high school, Dwain joined the army. At first, he did well as a communications specialist, but the drug culture ensnared him. When his habit reached a point where he could no longer fulfilled his duties, his officers learned of his drug habit. Dwain was transferred to a drug rehabilitation center in an attempted to cure him. When the attempt failed, he was admitted to a veteran's hospital. Then the army gave him a medical discharge and Dwain returned home.

One Saturday, during a barroom brawl, Dwain was bounced from a bar. I later learned such brawls were routine with him. This time, however, just as the bouncers bodily threw him to the sidewalk, a member of our church happened to pass by. He assisted Dwain to his feet and invited him to a service. Dwain accepted, and was in the service the next morning, and thats how we met. That first visit to our church addicted Dwain to the compelling warmth of the congregation.

We learned that he was homeless. He had no place to sleep and no real friends. He was rudderless and without purpose; he just drifted. When my wife, Maria, and I invited him to spend the night at our home, Dwain hesitated and then agreed. He remained with us for some three months.

We discovered that he was extremely intelligent; however, he displayed a somewhat endearing, childlike quality. Neat and clean, consistently respectful and considerate, he helped anywhere he could. He voluntarily participated in our devotions, regularly attended our services and studied the Bible. A consummate questioner, he inquired into various Bible doctrines and eventually committed his life to Jesus Christ. Ours was a Charismatic church, so the Charismatic experience especially intrigued him. He inquired into it, but felt unready to go deeper and we never pressed him to do so.

During his time with us, Dwain remained drug-free and we rejoiced. Then, one night, Maria awakened from a sound sleep, sensing something was wrong. She went downstairs where she found Dwain sprawled out on a divan, fast asleep. A burner on our electric kitchen stove was on high heat. On it, the bottom of a cooking pot was near its melting point. Dwain planned to heat some food and had fallen asleep. Maria turned off the burner, carefully removed the pot and cooled it. She then returned to bed, leaving him asleep on the divan.

Hearing of the incident the next morning, Dwain grew terrified and remorseful. All he could remember was having attended a party with some former buddies hed encountered. After that, everything was a blank. He informed us he sincerely desired to serve the Lord, but that he really couldn't kick his habit without help. Our church was a supporter of Teen Challenge, and I was an area-recommending pastor for the ministry. Dwain inquired about going to Teen Challenge, but because of his age, he doubted he would be accepted.

At my request, the compassionate staff of the local Teen Challenge center took him in. They ministered to Dwain for some three weeks, when we received a call inform us he left complaining about the rules. We never saw him again. Heartsick, we made several unsuccessful inquiries, after which we committed him to the Lord.

Some time thereafter, we transferred to a pastorate in another city. Four years passed, during which we often wondered what became of Dwain. One day, the phone rang and there he was, on the other end hundreds of miles away! He said he still felt the love our church and we had shown him. He tried to contact us and learned wed moved. His repeated attempts to trace us proved fruitless. Then he started attending a church of our denomination. Dwain asked the pastor for our new address and he phoned us.

He filled us in on what transpired in his life after he left Teen Challenge. He felt he disappointed us by leaving, and had drifted for several months. Finally, it dawned on him that he had to come to terms with the Lord and with himself. He reentered a veteran's hospital drug rehabilitation program, started attending church, and surrendered his life to Jesus Christ.

How triumphant he sounded! He had been released from the hospital more than two years before, though he still was an outpatient. He worked full-time as a communications specialist, had located and attended a home church like ours, he said. There he met a young woman with whom he fell deeply in love. They were serving the Lord, faithfully attending all the services of the church and planned to marry.

Our eyes were moist when Maria and I hung up the phone. We just had received an awe-inspiring example of what the Bible book of Ecclesiastes, chapter eleven, verse one states: When we cast our bread upon the waters, we do find it after them many days - multiplied many fold.

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Josprel (Joseph Perrello)