In the beginning of 2010, Jonathan Musgrove was abusing drugs and alcohol on a daily basis. He remembers, “I sacrificed everything to stay high.” His unstable lifestyle brought him to isolation: “My fiancé and son required too much of me, so I left. My parents couldn’t handle my deceitfulness, and they kicked me out.” Basically homeless, six months into the year, he stepped into Scranton Rescue Mission for a meal. Here, he encountered God’s love and faithfulness, and, after speaking with a chaplain, heard about the Mission’s residential recovery program. Since joining the program, Jonathan says, “God has radically transformed my life. He snapped my addictions, restored family relationships, and forgave all of my sins.” Then a year later in 2011, he felt God’s call to join City Vision’s internship program, where he’d be interning at Keystone Rescue Mission Alliance.
His internship will end in August, but he hopes to continue working full-time for a rescue mission. Jonathan has faith that God will provide a job for him: “He will keep leading, and as long as I keep following, He will open the doors.” After all, he’s seen God’s faithfulness over the past two years: “I am amazed at how far He has brought me – getting sober, maybe; but changing my heart’s desires, unthinkable. Yet He is a God of miracles and I am blessed to be His child.”
The journey from addiction to sobriety, and his internship with City Vision, has transformed him: “Everything used to be about me. As selfish as I am [now], I used to be much more. Now I am learning to minister to the needs of others.”
When asked about his experience as a City Vision intern and student, he says, “It was both challenging and rewarding. The online courses made it possible for me to get the hands-on training with the rescue mission, remain true to the students in the program, and still be involved with my family while enrolled in college full-time. The internship also enabled me to work at the Mission 32 hours a week. This training was essential. This certainly helps me transition from a student to full-time staff.”