Written by Vivian Liu and Angela Zhang
The strongest of souls lies in those who have been through the toughest of life. Even after experiencing what to others was only a distant nightmare, Johnny Delarosa braved it and emerged on the other side victorious.
Johnny was born into a large Christian family, with six brothers and two sisters. He was the youngest of the brothers, and was considered “the baby of the family.” When Johnny was in kindergarten, his beloved brother Danny died. When he was in seventh grade, his brother Ernie passed away as well. The grieving took a toll on Johnny’s heart, and he grew angry at God. “I was puzzled why God would do that to such a little kid,” Johnny said. He had already learned the feelings of devastation and sorrow at such a young age; it would set him up for dangerous and tumultuous years in adolescence and adulthood.
Having lost his trust in God, Johnny turned to drugs and alcohol. He no longer bothered to take care of himself, becoming homeless. He had lost himself in a drunken stupor. It stayed this way for years.
Johnny received his first wake-up call when he was given little time left to live by a medical professional. Due to his severe drinking and drug use, his liver was failing. His second wake-up call came when he heard that his mother had passed away. Grief overtook Johnny once more, but this time, he decided to return to God instead of shunning him because “[he] didn’t want [his] mom turning in the grave still worried about [him].”
“I need[ed] God more than I thought…When I was roaming the streets I didn’t have love for anybody. And I finally realized I need[ed] help.” After over a decade of being homeless, his newfound faith in God fueled Johnny through the long road to redemption. Johnny attended rehabilitation programs at Fountain Recovery for one year and graduated. He attended grieving classes. For a while, he worked as a facilitator for the Arukah House—a Christian care home for men who are looking for a second chance at life- where he not only helped other participants, he also helped himself in the process. Currently, he has a part-time job running free laundry services at Asbury Methodist Church for the homeless, as well as doing maintenance for the Cornerstone Fellowship.
According to the Sage Clinic, mental health, stress, childhood trauma, and lack of social support are among the root causes of substance abuse. During Johnny's childhood in the 60s, there were not many places offering mental health services that a mourning kid like Johnny could go to. Fortunately, schools such as Amador Valley High School are striving to change this with the addition of support counselors and wellness centers. While mental health services are becoming more available, it is important that we continue making these services more accessible and affordable to students and adults throughout America.
Now, at sixty years of age, Johnny has changed his ways and pledged his life to God. For the past few years, he has been living in an RV in the parking lot of Cornerstone Fellowship, where he lives for free in exchange for serving as a watchman over the property. Recalling his experience as a homeless person, he tries to help other homeless people and is willing to lend what money he has. Every day, he listens to the Bible. For the last twenty-five years, he has kept his promise to himself to remain sober. He works hard for his daughters and grandchildren, and there is a smile in his voice when he talks about them. “I’m happy for what I do,” he said.
Despite being overwhelmed with hopelessness, Johnny has been able to rebuild his life with support from others, and no doubt, lots of self-discipline. Johnny urges us to be honest with ourselves and others, to “say what [we] mean and mean what [we] say,” and - to not sit idly by wallowing in despair. After all, without Johnny´s determination to turn his life around, his current redemption would not have been possible. As Johnny likes to say, ¨God will do for you what you do for yourself¨.
Mental Health Resources:
Can update this part later