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How did a young man who for 28 years did all the right things in life, end up in state prison? Twice?

   John Anthony Dvorak attended Catholic school while growing up and even played basketball in the high school state tournaments. He married

 

   At 28 he learned that his wife was seeing another man. His marriage over, John emotionally fell apart. He had never been an alcohol or drug user, but within months he went wild abusing both. Any relationship he attempted with any woman ended abruptly because he no longer trusted women.

 

   John became the stereotypical cocaine addict, ruthlessly using family and friends alike. He would do anything to have his drugs. From selfless husband and father, he became a self-centered, out-ot-control monster. Friends and family did not like to see him coming because they knew he was trouble.

 

   By 1993, using and selling drugs caught up with him and he found himself sitting in prison where he remained until 1997. John said later that, unfortunately, his first stint in prison was not life-changing; within two years he was back behind bars again.

 

   John's second prison sentence sobered him to the fundamental reality of right and wrong. Two events helped him regain his focus. One was "Boot Camp," not unlike the boot camp soldiers go through after joining the armed services. Another was TRIAD, a drug treatment program within the prison system. One TRIAD exercise profoundly affected John. Family members and friends were asked to write to the inmates in treatment and honestly express how the inmate's behavior while on drugs had affected them. Like others, John was called upon to read aloud the letters he received. His heart was broken, especially over the words of his son who expressed the damage John inflicted on his family during the years he lived out of control. That moment marked the beginning of a huge direction change.

 

   Chapel was the only place John really felt safe in prison so he attended as often as he was allowed. He also attended Christian retreats and became as involved as he could in the Christian community inside prison. When it came time for Work Release, he told the program director he wanted to be moved into a Christian program. He knew it would be a much more positive place to spend the next eight months while getting a job and working toward a new life outside the prison system. Work Release suggested Damascus Way.

 

   This June, John will be free to move out of Damascus Way and into the real world once more. While at Damascus Way John has worked full-time as a local truck driver. Each Sunday he attends the same church most of his family attends. Being there with his family, John reports, is a wonderful blessing of God.

 

   Of Damascus Way, John says, "Being here has been a very good experience for me. The staff work hard under often times pressure situations. They go out of their way to help the men who try to do right."

 

   When John finishes Damascus Way in June he will move into a house he already owns, spending May remodeling. He will continue working, this time for a state-wide trucking company. He even has a couple of feline friends lined up to move in with him! John adopted several wild cats who live in the woods around Damascus Way. He makes sure they have food each day and two are tame enough, he thinks, to make good house pets.

 

   I asked John if there was anything he wanted to say to those receiving this letter about him. His only request was that you please remember to pray for the staff at Damascus Way. "They have been a powerful influence on so many, but they face a lot of stress and pressure, working with sometimes not-so-gracious individuals." He said it, not me!

 

For the men of Damascus Way,

 

 

Rev. Dick Harden, Executive Director

Damascus Way Reentry Center, Inc.

 

P.S. While you're getting ready for Spring, I'm bracing myself for Summer! It's always a very tough season on our finances. Will you add a little extra to your gift this month so we're better prepared to face our lean months? If you will do that, we can go on feeding, housing and nurturing the men God sends our way. Please consider sending a little more right now. Thank you!