...People say to me, aren't you afraid of those drug addicts you let into your home. I did'nt know they were drug addicts. I thought they were people who needed a helping hand.

There were many days I would have laid on the floor or could not get up on the toilet or in the shower if it had not been for those drug addicts. This was in the 1980's, I would give them what little I could, it did'nt matter the gender all of them were respectful to me.

I eventually realized I was missing some valuables from my home so I took in a woman who needed a home. I traded her help for shelter. Soon I could'nt pay her what she was worth. I told her to get a regular job and come home in the evenings to take care of me. She was pleased, so we agreed.

She found a job working at a motel as a housekeeper. She met a young man there who was homeless. He worked at a local restaurant and he and his dog, Tobias, had been sleeping in the woods behind the restaurant.

 His supervisor found out about his plight and followed him one day. She gave him enough money to get a room at the nearest motel for a week, which just happened to be the motel where my housekeeper worked.

 She told him about me and that I had a room he might be interested in. She called me and told me that I would love him. This was one of my good days with less pain, so I risk driving the car. When I arrived I saw a little half baked boy (this is our joke, he is German and Black and was adopted by a German and Black couple who brought him back to the states). He is the most handsome man you ever want to see. I could'nt imagine him having a problem of any kind.

My housekeeper soon left and moved back to her home in Asheville, North Carolina. Timothy and I decided to move into a smaller house. Then I found out the truth. We were making hand over fist in money with him styling and cutting hair. He even went back to school to update his styling and barber license. We found a shop to work from. We saved and decided to get our own shop. I was saving money, he was working. I bought out a shop, signed a contract for a shop of our own. I went to get some hundreds of dollars I had hidden in the house for supplies and it had disappeared.

CRACK Oh my God!!! CRACK!!!

What do I do about this? I could not do much of anything right away my car the money and the boy was gone.I prayed during the nights  I reported the car stolen so that I could get a rental car to drive around and hope to find my Timothy, but I did'nt know where to look for crack people.

One day I was out for a drive and drove up behind my car. I followed it. There were three unknown young men in the car. They pull into McDonalds and I act like a cowboy and cut them off at the pass. I ask the clerk to call 911. Cell phones were not available yet. the police came and I opened the McDonald line. I made a lot of people angry. I did'nt care, I just wanted to know if my boy was safe.

The young men told the police that Timothy had rented them the car to go the store. I did not press charges on the young men. I had them to take me to Timothy. My car was totaled. I brought Timothy home and my work with addicts begun.

Timothy recently cut a Hollywood movie production with one of the worlds largest beauty consultants.  Another one of my men has published about his addictions. I recently lost Luis, but he did give his heart to Jesus. The young man on the corner got cleaned up and now has two trucks and his own staff of men working for him. I'm currenty working with two men who are faithful to themselves and God.

And they just keep coming. .  

Louisa A Dobbins