The evangelistic newspaper of the modern Jesus Army
2002
HELPLESS TO HELP
As a twelve year old, Dale could not defend his mum, but soon he had enough problems of his own to contend with
Dale watched helplessly as his mum's boyfriend beat up his mum. He was only twelve and there was nothing he could do to defend her.
It was just one more bad incident in a long line of painful events since his dad had left home when he was seven.
"When their marriage broke up, Mum started drinking and my elder brother got into crime and drugs. As soon as I was 13, I dropped out of school and dropped into smoking pot. That was the year I first got arrested.
"By the time I was 14 I'd been arrested for burgling pubs and houses, for street robberies, handling stolen goods, and for criminal damage. I soon had nine offences and seven convictions. I haven't been in prison but I've had action plans, reparation orders, supervision orders and tag."
Soon, smoking pot wasn't enough and on New Year's Eve 2000, Dale tried ecstasy. That didn't seem to blot things out properly, neither did LSD or speed. He went on to ketamin, coke and smoking crack. Eventually, even his mum, who was close to him and understood some of what he was going through, decided enough was enough.
"One night, when I came home in the early hours of the morning, Mum was sitting there with all my stuff and asked me to leave. A police car had been round again with a warrant to search the house.
"I rang my dad at a phone box to come and pick me up. I stayed there for three weeks before he did the same thing. I stayed at my mate's house for a while but their parents soon had enough of me, too."
Dale had been sleeping rough in a garage for five days when his dad contacted him to say he'd found a place for him to stay.
"He said it was a farm house belonging to the Jesus Fellowship and it was for Christians. My dad found out from his wife, she found out from work. She was talking to a patient and they told her about it and thought they might take me in."
They did! In a new atmosphere, Dale found faith in God which changed his life. He stopped drug-taking and got into regular work.
"I never believed in God before I came but now I've been baptised and my life has changed totally. I couldn't have done it without God and all the support I had.
"In the past, my friends have wanted to be with me because I'd take drugs with them or go on the rob with them. Now I've made loads of mates who accept me for who I am."
HELPLESS TO HELP
