Chris has driven trucks from one end of the United States to the other but a series of health setbacks forced him to park his big rig. For years he lived with undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes that led to minor strokes. He’s been treated for thyroid, lung and skin cancer as well as worsening eyesight. On top of his physical problems, Chris has dealt with the death of his first wife, a divorce from his second and lingering shame from spending three years in prison after being tried as an adult for killing the foster father who attempted to molest Chris when he was 15.

When life was most bleak, God was there, and it was by His grace and intervention that Chris arrived at our Men’s Shelter this past spring. He is closer to God now at 55 than he’s ever been since accepting Christ and being baptized at age 13.

“I read my Bible on a daily basis now. I don’t live it the way I should sometimes, but I do pray and continue to read. I just read John for the second time and I’m fixing to start Revelation,” Chris said. “God is getting me better [too]. My health has improved a lot since I’ve been here.”

Chris was born and raised in Georgia. After being released from prison at age 18 he took a job with a carnival company, moving rides and equipment at county fairs. Chris left that job to become an independent truck driver, where he was on the road so much he lived in his sleeper cab. He purchased the truck from its owner but was so busy driving he never transferred the title into his name.

Thirteen years driving, a divorce and no home other than his 18-wheeler took a toll on Chris physically. His health deteriorated and he couldn’t go on. In early April, at a truck stop in Gary, Indiana, a fellow trucker told Chris about Good News. “He told me, ‘There’s a place in Indianapolis — a homeless shelter — that you can go and work and they’ll let you stay there,’” Chris said. “So I looked [Good News] up on the Internet.”

Chris left his truck in Illinois, intending to get it later, and took a bus to Indianapolis. He arrived at our shelter in April. Meanwhile, the truck’s owner, thinking Chris wasn’t coming back, sold the truck to another driver. Chris was officially homeless and broke, but not hopeless. In his second week at Good News, he was assigned the midnight to 8 a.m. shift at the shelter’s front desk, welcoming late-comers and keeping an eye on the security camera feeds. He hopes to drive a truck again one day, but local routes rather than long hauls. For now, Chris continues to seek God’s will as his body heals and is thankful Good News is here for him. “If you come here and give the place a chance, it’s well worth it,” he said.