Randl's Story

For a class project at Millersville University, Sam was asked to create a form of art that exists online. Wanting to incorporate his passion for people, Sam chose to tell the stories of several clients at the Water Street Mission. Through his project, he said he hopes individuals will be “reminded of how fortunate they are to have what they have, and that they easily could have ended up like any of the people at the Water Street Mission.”

At 27, Randl had had enough. “I was in a whirlpool of crap,” he told me bluntly. Financially his life was spiraling downward. Though he tried to make ends meet, supporting himself and his eight-year-old daughter, Hayley, was becoming next to impossible.

Randl is a laid back guy with a quiet demeanor. It took a little bit of time to get into his past. During our first meeting we conversed for over a half hour but I didn’t realize until after I had left for the day that I had learned nothing about Randl’s life prior to the now. When we finally got into it, I understood why. A deep pain rides closely next to the memories of his history.

Randl grew up in a broken family, mainly residing in Quarryville, but moved around a lot as a kid. As a kid he suffered from bipolar disorder, anxiety and extreme depression. As he got older it worsened. He was in a tough financial standing as it was, so he had no medical or health insurance to visit a doctor. “I had no guidance and was pretty much left to fend for myself,” he told me. He couldn’t continue the way he was, and began to self medicate with alcohol and drugs. It was his only escape. He paused, as his gaze started to zone out. “I still hate even talking about this.” There was a pain that swept over his face as he continued. “Before I came here I didn’t know what else to do. To calm myself down, I was drinking and smoking so much.” It was his only release from the emotional and mental torture he endured daily. “I was at the point where I was on a melt down; completely self-destructing.” He was through with it. “I didn’t know where to go, but I wasn’t about to go back to the whirlpool.” He cried out to God for help, to follow His way, because he realized that his own strength just wasn’t working.

There are a lot of pretentious assumptions made about rescue missions and homeless shelters. “To be honest, I really didn’t want to go live with what I assumed were just a bunch of bums. I just needed somewhere to stay for a few days till I could get back on my feet for a bit.” He had no idea of what was in store for him. He knew nothing about the recovery program that was available, and that there were volunteers at the Mission specifically engaged in their client’s lives, to develop relationships with and help the struggling to find peace. Here he was able to receive proper medical help and find direction as he sought God’s guidance, giving up his pain and putting his trust in Christ. “I had to be completely taken apart and reassembled,” he told me. And that’s just what he did through the help of the Water Street Mission. The need for drugs to escape from his pain is no longer necessary. Love has taken over and saved him from the destruction he was quickly moving towards.

Randl is now twenty-eight years old, and has been in the program for eighteen months. He is working towards going to Thaddeus Steven’s School of Technology where he plans on getting his degree in architecture. Randl is solid and steadfast on moving forward in his life, and is happy to have had the help of the Mission. He tells me, “This is a great place to be if you’re ready to change.”