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Juan Nelson Comes Full Circle to Help Others Find Jobs

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The Pope Foundation’s new Achiever Spotlight tells the story of Juan Nelson, who works as a case manager for StepUp Ministry‘s Life Skills program. Once employed and struggling with a drug addiction, today Juan helps others find jobs:

It took five businessmen at a church in Charlotte, North Carolina, to set Juan Nelson on the path to new life.

That was no easy task: Juan had just arrived in the Queen City seeking recovery from a nagging drug addiction. His criminal record scared away potential employers. But after he joined a ministry geared toward renewal through spiritual means, his life began to change.

“The men in my church imparted a lot of principles,” Juan said. “Instead of telling me how to do it, they literally put their arms around me and showed me how to do it, how to change.”

The process was slow and required a solid dose of humility up front, but soon Juan was hired in a supervisory role to help clean Harris Teeter stores.

“It taught me how to work for someone else and humble myself,” he said. “It taught me how to be on time. It taught me how to pay my bills.”

Juan soon wanted more, so he pursued an entrepreneurial endeavor: He founded his own moving company. Life was good. Juan had plenty of money flowing in. He could afford a nice place to live, and he provided plentifully for his wife and kids.

But there was a downside, too …

Read more Achiever Spotlights here.

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