"Now I have a family to be with at Christmas!"

"Hope for the holidays” has a special meaning for Clemmie this year. Last Christmas, he couldn’t even recall what hope felt like. In fact, those holidays were some of the darkest days of Clemmie’s life. He spent Christmas—and his birthday on December 31—all alone. What happened between then and now? To answer that, let’s go back to the beginning...

Clemmie grew up in the South Omaha projects, raised by a mom who kept a clean house and taught her kids good morals and manners. Occasionally Clemmie visited his dad in Missouri, but not enough to build a strong relationship. As Clemmie grew up, he was a good boy who stayed out of trouble. He finished high school and attended Pine Ridge civilization Center to prepare him for work in the construction field.

So far, so good...and then came pot

Clemmie stayed clean until after he graduated from the Center. But then he began smoking pot. It didn’t seem to impair his life in any way. He worked. He bought two homes. He got married, divorced and fathered four children. In fact, for over 25 years, Clemmie smoked pot and life went on. Then, at 47, he was introduced to crack cocaine. “That was when the real demon got a hold of me,” he says. And within three years, Clemmie lost everything—his job, his home, money, and all contact with his family. He didn’t want them to see him addicted, living only for his next high, so he withdrew to the streets. For several years, life was about drifting and drugging. And hunger. It was hunger that drove him to the Mission in search of a meal one day last spring.

A meal and more

That meal was a turning point. When Clemmie arrived, he learned about the New Life Recovery Program, and decided to stay. He was “tired of being homeless.” Soon he became friends with Jesse, a graduate of the program who is now on our staff. There was something different about Jesse, and Clemmie was drawn to it. So Jesse shared his faith and gave Clemmie a Bible. At the age of 50, this was the first time he had ever opened God’s Word. It was like a light in the darkness, and he couldn’t get enough of it. “God is a loving God,” Clemmie says. “I never knew that before coming to the Mission.” It wasn’t long before Clemmie gave his heart to Jesus, the Savior who is helping him change his life.

Step by step, day by day, life is getting better. Clemmie had lost all contact with his family. Now they are welcoming him back, and they are so excited and proud of him for being clean and sober. “Since I know Christ, I see my children all the time,” Clemmie beams. “It’s great!” That’s why this Christmas will be different for Clemmie. Now that he’s a Christian, celebrating the birth of Jesus has new meaning. And as he says, “Now I have a family to be with at Christmas—the Open Door Mission family!”

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