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2008-06-17 issue:

Former meth addict traces life to God

John Thomas, Hesston College graduate, completes ministry experience.

by Susan Miller Balzer

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John Thomas was completing requirements for the May 4 graduation from the Hesston (Kan.) College pastoral ministries program, as well as preparing to preach at Whitestone Mennonite Church in Hesston when he shared his story.














John Thomas (left) confers with Mark Miller, pastor of Whitestone Mennonite Church, Hesston, Kan., as part of Thomas’ supervised ministry experience. Photo by Larry Bartel.

“I just give God the glory. He restored my mind, healed my body, and saved my soul—just completely,” Thomas said.

He admits he should have had health defects from years of doing drugs. Except for a technicality on the way he was sentenced, he would still be doing time in prison.

“The only reason I am out today,” Thomas said, “is because God intervened.”

Thomas was released from Ellsworth (Kan.) Correctional Institution on June 9, 2006, and came to Hesston in the fall semester.

It started at age 18 when he was charged with possession of methamphetamine and served his first prison and drug treatment time. Later he met Bridgette, his wife, who said she knew he had a history of drug use, but did not know the extent.

“Bridgette never approved of any of the drugs,” Thomas said.

Bridgette, a lifelong Christian, accepted Thomas’ marriage proposal on one condition: that he go with her to church. They married in 1992.

“I’d gone through the motions of being a Christian,” Thomas said. However, he did not accept Jesus into his life until he was in the Reno County jail on additional drug charges. He had been on meth and was “in bad shape.”

“I got on my knees,” he said, “confessed my sins and Jesus met me.”

Thomas was spared the physical symptoms of withdrawal and slept peacefully for 15 hours.
“When I awoke, I had a hunger for the Word of God,” he said. “I wasn’t tempted (to do drugs) until in 2000 I decided to do it again.”

He and Bridgette had bought a house in Pawnee Rock; Thomas worked as a truck driver and plumbing journeyman and served on the city council. The couple worked in the community and church where they led youth groups.

They hoped to get custody of a young girl that Bridgette had known for four years, but were not accepted because of Thomas’ past. The girl committed suicide when she was 16, and John blamed himself for her death. He felt spiritually drained and was once again tempted to use and manufacture meth.

At age 34, he was high on meth for six weeks, and then was arrested and later sentenced to 13 and a half years.

“Just when things were good, I made some stupid choices,” Thomas said.

They lost their house and gave up the possibility of having children when Thomas went to prison and Bridgette went to live with her parents in Pawnee Rock. But she stayed faithful to John and their marriage vows.

“God saved my marriage,” Thomas said.

“God is worth loving, knowing and sacrificing for.”

Thomas was sentenced to the Ellsworth facility, where he was permitted to take Christian ministry classes offered by World Impact Ministries and the InnerChange Freedom Initiative, a ministry of Prison Fellowship.

Two hundred of the 850 medium security inmates were a part of InnerChange Freedom Initiative when Palmer Becker, former Hesston pastoral ministries director, first went to Ellsworth to teach in the fall of 2005. Thomas was one of Becker’s first nine students.

Thomas continued with a preaching class taught by James Dunn, a Burrton (Kan.) Mennonite Church pastor working as an adjunct Hesston teacher. Hesston offered college credits and considered accepting Ellsworth residents into the Pastoral Ministries program.

Thomas had earned a total of 26 credit hours through World Impact Ministries and Hesston when he was released.

He was hired as associate pastor at New Life Foursquare Gospel Church in McPherson. Becker also helped Thomas enroll at Hesston.

“He has made himself a part of our community,” said David Greiser, pastoral ministries director. “He also has a prophetic side. He’s observed where our challenges are. He spoke straightforward things to the community in a chapel talk. He is an encourager of other students in the program.”—Susan Miller Balzer

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