Hello, my name is Jeremy. A little about me; I was born in 1972 and adopted shortly after. Unfortunately I lost my adopted dad when I was a toddler and my mom raised me ever since. I grew up in Ephrata, a small town in Central Washington and graduated from there. I loved playing football and baseball, and was also active in band and jazz band.
High School is where I first discovered alcohol. I was hooked from that very first drink. That was back in the 90's. In between that time, I have experienced dropping out of college, couldn't hold a job for the life of me, in and out of jail which resulted in me losing my drivers license, and ruined my nine year marriage and the relationship with my children. Finally hit rock bottom when I became homeless for over a year. Alcohol is a very big problem for me. The stores were my dealers, and they are all around wherever I am at. It was such an easy access for me to find ways to get the funds I needed to buy the next fix. I was lost, very lost. Being tired all the time, the countless blackout episodes, and the detoxing just needed to stop. Changes needed to happen.
I knew of Jesus, but I was living the worldly ways. The only person I cared about was me. And was thinking, how I was going to get that next drink. My addiction behavior was something I wasn’t ready to give up. That wasn't until I found this wonderful place. PNW Adult and Teen Challenge has been a true blessing for me. I learned that I needed more, than just to trust my own ways. Being able to apply what this place has taught me over the years has been a real blessing. Doors have opened for me in many ways while here. The relationship with my wonderful children is now being restored. Learning how to work for others and not expecting anything in return. Letting go of my pride and being humble in all I do has been a fight every day. Most of the people around me might say I have a lot of patience; the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation is how this word is defined. My patience has been the help from the Lord. Being diligent in the word daily is now becoming a good habit.
My favorite verse in the bible is Romans 14:21 Better not to eat meat or drink wine or anything else that may cause a brother to stumble. I would like to be that example of a good person working for the Lord. I graduate here soon from my internship, and relocating to this area has made me grow in a lot of areas that I would never have done elsewhere. The Willamette Valley Campus will always have a special place in me. I am thankful to all the staff, interns and students here. The next step I am taking is still being a part of this Ministry and to teach those to see that it does work; we just have to apply Christ every single day.