From Fear to Trusting Again

For retired Marine James Bartholomew, success came when he was willing to hope that institutions that had failed him in the past could still come through for him. James, who has Parkinson’s, said he had given up on the U.S. Veterans Administration 30 years ago, but Eugene Mission Navigator Kai Batalona got him in touch with a VA social worker who had a housing search team and they eventually helped connect him with an apartment.

“Military training hardens you; you become self-reliant and can become untrusting,” said James, who recently graduated from the R3 program. “It’s a survival tactic. The greatest survivors are people who come to the Mission. They have an incredible level of resolve.”

Survival tactics that helped us keep going through the toughest challenges can become cataracts that cloud our ability to see resources. “I had to put my trust in the VA and total strangers,” James said, but his willingness to open his heart, share life with a core group of guests who became like family to him, and trust the process, paid off.

“Guests here are very strong,” he said. “People come here for various reasons; it’s tough going through those doors.” His courage in stepping through has resulted in new relationships, connections to resources and a new hope.

“Being here has been one of the most beautiful experiences,” James said. He is now focused on becoming a peer support specialist so he can help veterans in crisis.

While at the Mission, James’ Life Skill included serving in the front office answering phones and buzzing people through the front door. He said he considered his time serving in the office an honor: “When I clicked the button to let someone in, I was letting them into their home. It was my most important job.”