Jeremiah Periard from Key West, Fl

Jeremiah was adopted by a Michigan couple out of an orphanage in Bogota, Columbia. As a teenager, he made some wrong choices and eventually got hooked on drugs. Then the word got out to him that the best quality drugs were in Miami. So he left home and went there in search of those drugs. I'm not sure how he got to Key West from Miami, but he was busted for drugs several times and sentenced to a long time in jail there in Key West.

Then, a person from Glad Tidings A/G who frequently visited the guys in jail there in Key West, befriended Jeremiah. Over time, Troy ( that was his name) began to make an impression on Jeremiah in several ways. First it was just the time he spent with him - that was all. To think that a person would actually spend his time with him when there were so many other things to do made a real impression on him. Then, Troy explained how Jeremiah could recieve eternal life by putting his trust in Christ and the full plan of salvation. My impression is he probably covered this several times before it began to sink in.

At 29 years of age, Jeremiah accepted Christ as his personal savior. Unlike some cases, he had some relapses. But Troy was there to encourage him and he eventually became a fully committed believer. Today, I think it is about 8 years later, Jeremiah is very active in church and free of all forms of drugs. He is currently hospitality director for the church.

I asked him about his parents. They apparently are not Christians but do attend some type of church. A good followup would be to reunite Jeremiah and his parents.

Learnings:

• This was not a "road to Damascus" experience as reported by Paul the Apostle on his situation in the new testament. It took time.
• Troy was a critical factor in his gentle persistence with Jeremiah as a baby Christian. This is probably more commonly the case with adults. Unlike children, they percieve they have so much to give up and are heavily influence by the pleasures of sinful ways.
• Drugs are huge deterrent when it comes to walking away this lifestyle as an adult. That is why I am so high on Teen Challenge when it comes to bringing people out of this lifestyle. Jeremiah may have had a quicker recovery with that kind of program--which makes the mentoring of Troy over time all the more valuable.