A rough start…

Ezekiel Conley is a remarkable young man who was born on August 30th, 1984 in Colorado Springs. Zeke, as he is known here at Springs Rescue Mission, dropped out of school at age 11. He says that he has come to realize that his mother just needed someone to be at home with her, and so she wanted to “homeschool” him.

The educational part of homeschooling lasted less than a year. By age 12, Zeke was spending his days “getting high and watching cartoons”. Over the next 3 years Zeke’s relationship with his mother was reversed and he became the parent figure in the household, even though he was the youngest of 3 siblings. Everyday, Zeke would get up and make the morning coffee for his mother and then help her get out of bed. He would do the family grocery shopping based on a monthly budgeted amount that his father would give to him. This money was also for the family “pot stash”. As the years went on, he was finally prompted to go get his GED. As Zeke had only a 3rd grade education, he had to first take classes at Pikes Peak Community College. He passed the test on his first try. If you knew Zeke this would not surprise you. He is one of the smartest young men I have ever met. When you talk to him it is as though you are speaking with an Ivy League PHD graduate.

Enabling

Over the next three years, Zeke was employed at the same workplace as his father. Zeke was now drinking and smoking pot on a regular basis. He says that no matter what he did, it seemed to be ok with his parents. They enabled his wants to the point of helping him purchase a car on a day he was actually drunk. Zeke became unemployed after 2 ½ years and jumped from job to job. At the age of 24 he found out he had Type -1 diabetes. He knew he had to stop drinking but no one around him seemed to keep him to it. Zeke knew he could die from drinking, so he decided to experiment with other drugs just so that he could stay high without the sugar from the alcohol affecting his diabetes.

The Next Step

Instead of stopping the drinking, the drugs increased as well as the drinking. Zeke was now experimenting with multiple drugs, and eventually became addicted to smoking meth. During this phase in his life, Zeke was actually able to find a great job where he made very good money installing seamless gutters. He made a lot of cash, which in turn gave him the ability to do a lot more partying. In fact, Zeke would often party all night long before reporting to work. He did meth to get through the day, and then did meth at night to party. It was a never-ending cycle. A year and half into this great job, Zeke was given an ultimatum by his boss: either quit getting high or lose the job. Zeke was able to quit for about week before he was right back to where he was and found himself out of work.

Try, Try, Try

For the next 3 years Zeke was couch surfing and “scrapping” (which he says is really just stealing) to stay alive. He wanted to quit getting high, and was often able to for weeks or even months at a time. The problem was that when he fell, he fell hard. He would go on week-long binges of smoking meth and getting drunk, as well as doing any other drugs he could find. He ended up in detox and tried to call his mother, but she told him he was cut off and could not come back home this time. Zeke now realizes that this probably saved his life. He needed tough love, not enabling. Zeke had to figure this out or he was going to literally die from the alcohol and diabetes.

Feeling God’s Hand

Ezekiel says he has believed in God all of his life, but never understood what it meant to have a personal relationship with Christ. He remembers how God protected him through some very crazy times. While going through detox he prayed to God to help him and guide his feet wherever he needed to go to get sober. Ezekiel ended up at the RJ Montgomery homeless shelter. He says he shouldn’t have been allowed as it was his 4th time there. He had been in and out of RJ Montgomery and the Springs Rescue Mission homeless shelter over the past couple of years. While at Springs Rescue Mission he learned about the men’s New Life addiction recovery program, and so while staying at RJ Montgomery, he came and visited with the intake counselor at SRM. There were no spaces available for him that day so he was told he would have to wait. Zeke knew that if he did not stay focused on sobriety and getting into the program that he would fall. He went to morning devotions every day for 2 weeks until there was an opening at the New Life Program.

Not Easy

God guided Zeke right where he needed to be. Although Zeke knew he was supposed to be in the program, it was not easy. He was consigned to the kitchen for his ministry assignment. As he is a self-proclaimed introvert, he wanted to spend his time in the dish pit and “just do the program”. He tried his hardest to fly under the radar, and at first he was OK at it, but his heart to serve wouldn’t allow him to stay that way. Over time he found himself helping those around him. By phase 2, Zeke was being pulled out of his shell. People that had been here for a lot longer than he was were seeking his advice. This introvert who had major social anxiety was becoming a leader in the kitchen. He was no longer able to hide in the shadows, instead he was out in front and seen as the strong leader God was calling him to be.

Ezekiel Means God’s Strength

Ezekiel came to Springs Rescue Mission knowing about God but, never had a clue about what it meant to really know Him. He is now in the Graduate Services Program and working toward a career the Culinary Arts Field. Ezekiel literally means “God’s Strength”, and without God Zeke would not have made it. God has shown His strength in Zeke and now this man is the consummate Godly leader in the kitchen. He is a pillar to those in the program who are having a tough time. Zeke is always seeking to do what is right and continually seeks to move forward in his relationship with God. His desire to follow God’s path for his life is astounding. In a recent homework assignment, Zeke wrote: “Understanding and comprehension are two very different things. I don’t claim to comprehend His plan, [but] I do wish to in the most literal sense of the word understand - lineup with or submit to - what The Lord wants me to do. Placing His plan above my own, which was constructed under what I comprehend of my existence. That is not as simple as I would like it to be, my own perception on this material plane gets in the way and I start straying off the path, leaning on my own understanding, that is when I must remember most to trust in The Lord and His omnipotence not trusting my own comprehending but discerning and understanding what he wants me to do. When I do progress from simply understanding to deep comprehension of matters stated above is how I slowly see my wanton faith grow and flourish.”God’s hand has been upon this man and He has major plans for him. In a very short time I have seen a soul who was lost and afraid be turned and transformed into a Man of God who seeks only to walk in God’s Strength. We at SRM will continue to watch and see what God has in store for this amazing young man.