lung condition. But instead of hearing again that he had a hopeless case, James’ doctor immediately diagnosed him with a rare form of lung inflamma- tion. The doctor had been researching this condition and told James he needed a double lung transplant. James could wait for the organs there while doing physical therapy. As weeks passed, the hospital staff noticed James’ upbeat attitude and his commitment to following doctors’ orders, and they asked him to mentor others waiting for transplants. Over the next three months, James’ lung capacity increased from 4 percent to 18 percent. “When he was in Seattle waiting and preparing for a transplant,” Mike explains, “every day more doctors were coming to his room. They couldn’t understand it, but his lungs were getting better. He got too healthy to be on the list. Some of the non-Christian doctors didn’t understand how he could be getting better, and he said, ‘I do—God’s not done with me.’” Living Differently W hen James returned to The Light- house, Robert—who had first taken James to the VA—befriended James. They did service projects together such as refur- bishing bicycles and helping the mission open a new facility for women and children. They became best friends. “Robert helped me climb out of my shell,” James says. “I could trust him with my life, and he could trust me with his.” In addition to finding a friendship, James real- ized—through counseling at the VA—that he had post-traumatic stress disorder. Mike encouraged 20 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 “One day I dropped to my knees and fully surrendered to God,” James says. “God wants His whole creation to come back to Him because that’s what makes Him happiest.”