Divine Light

“You need something to get you through it. Even if you just have God, that’s everything,” he explains. Now he does his best to make sure his clients are never without support either. “They know they have me and that’s important because you can’t do recovery alone.” Spreading the light Recovery led Cook to Divine Light. He works with more than 60 men, coordinating three houses and interacting with clients on a personal level. Cook encourages the men to share their stories with him and socialize with others in their programs. At times he meets resistance, but he doesn’t give up on any of his clients.

INTERVIEW 3

It’s often a struggle for Cook to push his clients to come to terms with their past issues, but he believes it’s the only way to heal. Although the National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that one in six boys are sexually abused before age 18, Cook knows that’s an issue many men have difficulty opening up about. “A lot of these guys have been through abuse,” he says. “But you know, It’s hard for a man to admit that. Some of them start to open up once I tell them my story. Some don’t. But I’ve been in and out of treatment centers for the last 15 years and I get why it’s hard. You don’t feel comfortable telling certain things. You don’t know what people will think, if they’ll understand.” “Change and letting go are hard things to do. It’s also hard to trust people when you haven’t trusted anyone in a long time,” Cook says, “But it’s possible. I couldn’t have done it without Divine Light and

the support system they provide. Now I watch it happen with these men. I see them get jobs, move out on their own, even get married. It’s a beautiful thing to watch them transform.”

17