FEATURED CLIENT: Michael Montoya 

A smile on his face and hope, that’s what resident Michael Montoya had when he arrived to Abel house. Michael believed coming to Abel’s House was not by accident. When he arrived at Abel House, he was undergoing some personal struggles with addictions, health issues and on probation. Michael said that he was happy to be here at the same time, he still felt reserved because he never trusted anyone after what he’s been through in his life. Michael was at first a little bothered by being asked to attend bible study and peer run support groups, but he said he wanted to follow the rules so he attended.

Michael would have daily meetings with Abel House staff to make sure his health was okay because he had just started dialysis and staff would assist him as much as they could or give him rides to emergency if he needed it. Michael says while he kept attending bible study and listening and trying to understand about God again because he said he gave up on praying since his life kept just being a struggle, Michael didn’t have the desire anymore or he forgot about it he said when his grandparents died, he began to lash out committing crimes causing long prison terms and anger that stayed with him and he didn’t want to listen to no one that would try to get him to change.

After a while at Abel’s House Michaels life started to change. Michael started to help his peers, he would talk with them about staying sober and making Good choices. Michael started to interact in the bible studies and actually look forward to the meetings. Michael even wanted to go to church to learn more. During all this change Michael was also doing well with probation and he said everything is starting to look up.

Michael was very angry he said I cant! God never loved me. Monica the director promised him, God always loved him and always way, you need to think rational God would want you to ask permission from your probation officer. Monica assured him that is possible but what if he says yes? Michael called his probation officer and they said YES, pending that he meet some fees he owed to probation. Director Monica said Abel House will help him meet those fees. Michael was so happy. Michael said he will never never say God doesn’t love him, he knows there is a God, he came in his darkest hour.

After that Michael propelled so much love onto Abel’s House residents over the time that he was with us. Michael became the volunteer assistant at Abel’s House. He worked with so many other residents to help them get jobs, stay sober and restart their life. Michaels favorite time is when a resident of Abel house graduated and they always would come back to visit and tell him about how their life is and how they are sober. Michael was very proud of his work at Abel house he said

“Abel’s house keeps me alive and I have a purpose” Despite always at Diaylsis or heart surgeries or foot surgeries or even getting his leg amputed….Michael was always working to serve his brothers at Abel’s house by supporting them by giving them a pep-talk or just listen when they needed him. Many Many people were touched by his gentle kind heart. Especially Monica the Director, she says she adopted him as her bother he worked closely with Monica at Abel house and she is very very proud of how far he came from a Criminal lifestyle to trying to mentor others to get out of a criminal and drug lifestyle.

Monica and all the residents past and present have many good memories of him and all the good he did at Abel’s House and he will be forever missed.

RIP…Michael Montoya.