Urgent call to serve a US Navy veteran.
Condemning a Christian is more convenient than helping him. Abandoning a veteran is easier when he is unwilling to mute his conscience. This is my call for help. I can’t help alone and leave a devout Christian, and a bruised human, a veteran without care. We are not morally bankrupt. We can do better. In particular, Catholics are more compassionate than this reality. I know. I attended Catholic schools.
This is an emergency. Help!
The abandoned devout Christian veteran in Boulder, CO.
A man of 50+ is in need of a pure Catholic fellowship that prays to glorify Jesus; not one that
He has PTSD and has a service dog. For months he has worked for me, once a week for 4-6 hours each week. He is clean, punctual, organized, and dependable. He is strong and good with construction work. He does a great job because I give him clear directions. Most vets are perfect with checklists. He is too. When things shift, he adjusts seamlessly. We have trust.
What does this devout Christian veteran need?
This man needs the fellowship of mature, life-hardened companions of his faith, Catholicism. Jesus is his light, and the Bible is his compass.
He needs:
- A safe home/room and can pay $700/month in rent.
- A Catholic Christian ministry with a life-hardened, compassionate congregation.
If his home and church are close to Boulder, he can keep his 3 jobs and stay financially secure.
Problem
A wealthy man hired him to do home fixing work. The man also brought in a woman tenant who is an unhygienic inconsiderate person. She leaves the kitchen dirty and bath unusable. The woman sits inappropriately dressed in the home in full view of all. The landlord and the veteran had previously ejected this woman. The kitchen was unusable for the vet and he could not cook for himself or his dog. The landlord let her back in after a few weeks. She pays off bills for him. His property is worth $3M and he is not poor, but he can’t resist that she pays for some of his utilities. Last Friday night, this woman wound-up the landlord and the landlord called the police on the veteran for physical harassment. The veteran was questioned and released with the promise to appear in court on the 26th.
The landlord and his friends are afraid of the vet’s potential for violence. One of them called me to convey this. The church he attended ignores him because his version of the ministry mission is to glorify Jesus. This ministry pursued a commercial venture in the name of God, but in his view, to earn money for themselves. They have ignored him. This man of Christ does not deserve the anxiety of walking alone. Yet no strong shoulders are standing to hold him in peace and strength. He lives in near isolation when not working. His service dog is his companion. We can and must do better.
I can’t do it alone
The veteran is a proud man. He does not trust the VA system. He can’t talk about what he has witnessed in the military. He has memories that bother him. He has multiple jobs. In every place, he is seen as a reliable helping hand. But he speaks to me. I listen. We have trust between us. He is hurting and I can’t help him. I don’t have the skills, training, or time. And while I stand in his support, it taxes my life in all dimensions – morally, energetically, and financially.
Help. (1) find a residence, shared home or a room for $700/month near Boulder. Ideally on a bus route. (2) Find a church where the minister has seen human struggle and has compassion to see this veteran’s need for fellowship.
Raj@rajrawat.com