Jacob Wymer, 19, was taking a full load of courses, working a part time job at Kim Construction, and trying to figure out what he wanted to pursue as a career for the future.
Wymer’s normal life took a turn last August when his car was totaled, his work hours cut, and he found himself with little money in savings.
“Everything kind of crashed on me all at once,” Wymer said. “You don’t know things are bad until something big like this happens.”
When everything went wrong for Wymer, he remembered a part-time job he did over the summer at Skycroft Conference Centers. Skycroft is a Christian retreat and conference center in Middletown, located in the top of the mountains.
Wymer was offered a job from Skycroft before but declined it when he was working long hours at Kim Construction.
Wymer accepted the job offer from Skycroft this time, which gave him a paid job, a place to live, and a step back in the right direction. Skycroft is a long distance from any convenience stores or gas stations, and with no functional car, Wymer was isolated.
“I noticed things really changed when everyone went back to college,” Wymer said. “There was not a lot of people to talk to up here once school started back up.”
When Wymer experienced isolation from the outside world at first, he learned how to live with himself while living on his own for the first time. Through constant visits from friends and family, Wymer has been able to overcome and adapt to the loneliness.
“Without having a car, sometimes I felt trapped,” Wymer said. “Almost like a hermit.”
At first, Wymer struggled to adapt to a new lifestyle and job atmosphere.
“I felt I was on a different playing field,” Wymer said.
Working and living in the same place and being unable to leave when he wanted was an adjustment for Wymer. Instead of working at a construction job and driving home to his parent’s house, Wymer walked to the mission house, located just outside of Skycroft’s conference area grounds.
Through all of what Wymer experienced in the first few weeks, he found the positive in his situation.
“This is the first time in my life I feel I triumphed over a problem and grew from it,” Wymer said. “I learned how to set my own goals and achieve them while growing as an adult.”
Wymer believes this experience has humbled him and is now looking forward to his future.
“If I can’t figure out what I want to do, I want to help people,” Wymer said.
Wymer is now looking to become a missionary at the New York School of Urban Ministry (NYSUM) to continue his career in helping others.
“It is another goal I am trying to achieve,” Wymer said. “It feels like the next thing I need to do.”
Working at NYSUM will allow Wymer to serve others while gaining a new life experience and a new environment to explore. Wymer first applied to NYSUM in early January and received multiple responses of a possible missionary job.
Wymer is still patiently waiting while serving the needs of others at Skycroft and “bettering himself as a person” every day.
“I learned it is alright to have something wrong,” Wymer said. “Through constant visits and communication with friends and family, I knew I could overcome this problem.”
