Quarter of a century helping the homeless through Joy Junction

Jeremy Reynalds reveals how he was once homeless and now runs New Mexico's largest homeless shelter

ASSIST News Service 

For Jeremy Reynalds, it has been a long and, at times, tortuous journey from his home in the slightly snooty southern England seaside town of Bournemouth with its 7 golden miles of beaches, to running New Mexico's largest homeless shelter, Joy Junction in Albuquerque.

On Oct. 21, Who's Who of Albuquerque's civic and religious life, to celebrate the silver anniversary of Joy Junction, at a glittering event at the Hotel Albuquerque. 

The special evening called "A Night in Old Hollywood," also included a speech by New Mexico's Governor, Susana Martinez, who praised Jeremy for founding and running his unique shelter which he called "25 years of giving a hand up not a hand out." 

Jeremy Reynalds in the Joy Junction Food Shelter.

The governor said, "The organization provides shelter for 300 people each night, serving as many as 16,000 meals per month and provides a safe refuge for to anywhere between 60 and 80 homeless children every night. 

"And that is not all. Joy Junction doesn't just provide for the physical needs that come about every day - food, clothing and place to sleep. This is an organization that provides a lifeline out of poverty -- like teaching skills to re-enter and succeed in the work place, resume writing and a variety of other tools." 

But behind the glitz and glamor of the evening, where many of the guests dressed in costumes from "Old Hollywood," was a dramatic story that would make a movie in new Hollywood today.

It began when Jeremy left Bournemouth back in 1978 to serve the Lord in the United States back, but it didn't go that well at first. About nine months later he married an American girl, but due to a variety of circumstances, ended up homeless. Shelter was offered to his family in Florida, but because of Jeremy's self-described "rotten attitude" back then, he wasn't included. As a result, he set out on the road to discover more about his adopted land. 

In his book, "Homeless in the City: A Call to Service," he described what happened:

"I had enough money for a bus ticket to Dallas, and from then on my mode of transportation was hitch-hiking. On a late evening in January 1982, it was cold in Dallas. I had about $10 in my pocket and a small suitcase, which seemed unbearably heavy. 

"I stuck my thumb out so much it got cold and sore and felt as if it was going to drop off. I was just about to give up, when an elderly couple stopped for me. They asked where I was headed. They were like angels sent from heaven, and who knows. ? They took me to their home, fed me a delicious meal, gave me a comfortable bed, and took me back to the highway in the morning. What a blessing! 

"I have found, however, that trials follow blessings. By the next evening, I had gotten to the Texas-New Mexico border and found myself standing out in the blazing sun for hours. Cars sped by, but no one was stopping. As the hours went on, I was getting more and more tired. 

 "I finally left the highway and walked to a store. I wearily looked through a telephone directory and called the first church I could find. I asked whoever answered the phone if he could help me with shelter. The man told me that I would be welcome to sleep on the church floor, but I would have to walk there-a distance of about five miles. Needless to say, the idea of walking five miles on an unknown Texas highway did not really appeal to me. I thanked him and despondently hung up. 

"Walking back a few yards, I saw a restaurant which was about to close for the night. Behind the restaurant was a storage shed. Inside the shed was a whole bunch of odds and ends. The only thing that looked hopeful to sleep on was a piece of fiberglass. So that was how I spent the night. 

"I got up early the next day (fiberglass was not my first mattress choice) and I then headed to the highway. A trucker soon stopped and gave me a ride to Phoenix. By this time, I was starving. Without my asking, the trucker shared his sandwiches with me. 

"I really saw the Lord's hand in this. In my position now as Joy Junction's founder and CEO, I have also instructed my staff to see that guests who come in late (and hungry) are fed something, no matter what time of the day or night it is. While I definitely did not enjoy these experiences, if I had not gone through them, I would not have appreciated how tasty a bologna sandwich could be when you have not eaten for a long time. 

His own experience gave him a real love for the homeless and after four years in Santa Fe, he finally settled with his former wife in Albuquerque. In 1986 he started Joy Junction. 

"Joy Junction is a place of refuge to those who have been forced into the streets. As many as 300 women, children and families count on us each day for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and an array of other services. While Joy Junction is the largest homeless shelter in New Mexico, Joy Junction is much more than a homeless shelter. We are a Gospel Rescue Mission that is committed to restoring precious lives which have been forgotten and abandoned by society.”

If you would like more information, just go to www.joyjunction.org. If you would like to send a message of encouragement to Jeremy, his e-mail is: jeremyreynalds@comcast.net