At the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission, we hear hundreds of stories every year. We have the privilege of being involved in these life stories and doing our best to provide help, hope, and a future. Every once in a while, we get to share with you, the people who support the mission and make it possible, a story that inspires us, humbles us and challenges us to try a little harder and to be a little more grateful. This is one of those stories.
James was born in Woodbury New Jersey, where his family made their living selling vegetables at a local farm stand. James was never a stranger to hard work and was an avid athlete. He enjoyed playing soccer year round. James lost his mother at the age of 11 and that trial affected him for some time.
James grew up and graduated from high school and decided to go to college. James realized that college wasn’t for him and he dropped out and found employment in the mortgage field.
For the next seven years, James worked his way up the ladder and traveled all over the United States selling mortgages. After seven years of living a very successful life, James decided that he was going to join the navy. He was in the Navy for about a year and ended up getting kicked out for fighting, which proved to be another hard trial for James. After he left the Navy nothing seemed to go well. Though he had seen better days he is a hard worker and did not give up easily. Like all of us, James just wanted a place to call home. So, he decided to go home to Woodbury New Jersey. James quickly found employment as an orderly at the same hospital he was born in. James stayed in Woodbury for five years.
Although drinking was always a part of his life, his drinking started to increase. It seemed like no matter what he did, Woodbury just did not feel like home anymore. Things got bad enough that James decided to quit his job at the hospital and go to Kentucky. Here, James would start a new life hopefully a home. This is where James’ life took a turn that he could have never anticipated. Every opportunity closed and before long he was living in a park catching fish and eating dandelions to