What Christopher said

by Paul Goodell, Development Coordinator

One of the last stories Doug shared with me before he left was a story from his first couple years on the job.

He had recently gotten to know “Christopher,” a young man we’ve been working with for several years. Christopher’s story is a sad one, and he has been a hardcore heroin addict for a very long time. Like many of the men we serve, he was very skeptical when he first got to know us. And yet Christopher’s also a very gentle soul; it didn’t take him long to trust us.

Some time after he and Doug had gotten to know each other, Christopher confided that many folks on the street thought that Doug really cared about him. Maybe Christopher had doubts too.

Some guys, they told me that you wouldn’t care about me if you didn’t work for Emmaus, he said.

I wouldn’t have met you if I didn’t work at Emmaus, Doug said. But now that I have met you, I’ll always care about you.

A perfect reply, and one that really sums up what it means to work with Emmaus.