April 2022 Newsletter

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A Place of Community

As a youth, Kirk’s extra-curricular activity was BMX (Bicycle Motocross) dirt track racing and jumping. As soon as he could get on a bike, he tried to keep up with older kids in his neighborhood already in competition. It was good for his self-esteem, social development, physical health, positive behavior, even concentration. This was especially true, because he was raised by a single mother and struggled with attention-deficit (hyperactivity) disorder. Kirk helped other kids build a practice track in a nearby field. The summer between fifth and sixth grades, he had his first official race and took first place. It was almost too easy. Then he spent more time at the practice track than at home. It became their unsupervised hangout. Peer pressure became more powerful. His place of positive motivation became a negative one to smoke cigarettes and experiment with drugs. At the same time, ADHD medication slowed him down, further reducing his competitive edge. Kirk said, “It killed the one thing that motivated me and gave me drive and put a smile on my mom’s face.” By ninth grade, he dropped out of bike racing, ditched school regularly, and got in trouble with the law. He was in rebellion against the unfairness of life, trying to redefine himself. So the stage was set for an unsettled adult life.

Fast-forward to last year, Kirk’s mother suddenly passed away. He took the shock hard, and as he said, “went off the deep end.” His motivator was gone, and life was all the more empty. He remembers camping out at the river a few nights. When some campers invited him to go with them to steal items for drug money, Kirk said, “No, I want to get a job.” It was the campers that told him to go the Mission, if that’s what he wanted.

After three nights in our dormitory, he inquired about our program. He was placed in helping the maintenance man, working in the warehouse, and yes, repairing bicycles in our shop. Kirk said, “Bikes took me back to my happy place and time, remembering my mom smiling and cheering me on before and after my bike races.” He went on to say, “Since the day I got here, I have been able to excel without one step backward. Its the most solid progression in a long time. Chapels are awesome. Its a half-hour I focus on, look forward to, have peace of mind, get something to think about. The tools are here to succeed.” After a few months here, he was offered an employment position as our Bicycle Repairman. Before the arrangements could be made, a better position with more hours opened as a Mission Store Clerk. Kirk will still have the opportunity to work in and around the Mission Bike Shop, that he is pictured in above.