Daniel - Ashamed to be a janitor - Come on let's go

This is the longest job ive ever held. I have been there six and a half years. I felt, I felt ashamed being a janitor. I mean like, im not saying that im too good to be a janitor. Im definitely not, but I just knew that god had a higher calling on my life.

I quit school early, so I didnt get any education. I just did whatever I wanted. I was born with this condition. It was rare at the time, in 81. Its called ectodermal dysplasia. My teeth were affected. I had to have mouth surgeries. My skin, just had dry skin, and things like that. I grew up without sweat glands, so I have grown up not sweating.

Thats kind of a big deal. I love sports, so I couldnt play sports and do all of that fun stuff because I got hot. In elementary school, kids are kind of cruel and just like not understanding why I was born the way I was or whatever. It was kind of devastating, and I kind of got made fun of and was kind of a loner. I got called so many names. I just didnt want to be around that, so I got pulled out.

I failed early on, like first grade. I re-did it, passed it, and went on. Failed almost every other grade (just about failed) because I just wasnt focused in that. At age seven I got saved watching the movie tremors. It scared me, so thats when my mom gave me the plan of salvation, but then, later on, I still got made fun of.

So then my teens hit, my teenage years, and thats kind of when I got angry at god a little bit. I went off the deep end and got mixed up in drugs and all that stuff. I did every drug under the sun, but then I really got hooked on meth. Once I did it, it gave me this confidence that I had never felt before. Its a lie, definitely a lie, but it just gave me this confidence, and I felt good. I felt secure.

It was the best, most amazing drug I have ever felt before. But then about 2005 is when I just hit the wall. I hit the wall. I didnt OD, but I just remember calling my mom and just telling her, I want out of this. I want to be clean. I dont know whats going on with my life. So somehow miraculously I got off of it. I didnt have any kind of withdrawals. I wasnt angry.

It was like god, his grace just swallowed all of that pain as far as that goes, as far as the want of that drug. Then in 2008 I discovered who jesus really is to me and his love for me, how deep it really goes. Like that verse, nothing can separate us from the love of god. It really just flooded my soul. At this point, im somewhat stable. Ive got a job.

Of course, im a janitor at this point. I clean toilets and pick up trash, clean bathrooms. Thats what a janitor does. Im cool with being a janitor right now. I dont know about the rest of my life. Like I said, I know gods got something for me. I see what gods doing right now as far as helping me to see that im secure in him, so it doesnt matter if im a janitor or not.

It doesnt matter what im doing. Ministry is everywhere you are. Everywhere you go we are to minister to people. Ministry is not just one specific place, so now I take that, and I minister to the people at work. When people are struggling, I talk to them at work.

You know, I just pray with them. People might be nervous to go to someone higher up and talk to them about their personal lifebut someone like a janitor or something, someone they feel not over, but just kind of like they might open up to me. I might be able to share some jesus to them.

Activists Furious After FOP Hires Officer Jason Van Dyke As Janitor

ALSO BE SURE TO SIGN UP FOR THE WEATHER ALERTS TEXT WEATHER TO 780780. IN THE HEADLINES THE CHICAGO POLICE OFFICER CHARGED WITH KILLING LAQUAN mc dONALD HAS NEW JOB. YEASON VAN DYKE WAS SUSPEND FROM THE FORCE BUT WON'T BE FAR AWAY FROM OFFICERS.

SUSANNA SONG IS LIVE FROM THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE HEADQUARTERS. SUSANNA GOOD MORNING. Reporter: DUDE MORNING. SOURCES SAY -- GOOD MORNING. SOURCES SAY THE FOP HIRED JASON VAN DYKE AS THE JANITOR AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS ARE UP IN ARMS. THAT DEALS WITH THE PEOPLE. YOU HAVE TO LISTEN. SHOULD NOT BE. Reporter: AN ARGUMENT OVER THE HIRING OF OFFICER JASON VAN DYKE BY THE POLICE UNION.

THEY NEGOTIATE THE CONTRACTS FOR THE COPS. Reporter: BROWN SAYS THIS IS A SETBACK. IT'S GREAT WAY TO SAY THAT WE DON'T CARE THAT A MAN BROKE THE LAW AND USES THE AUTHORITY EXCESSIVELY WHEN WE ARE WORKING VERY HARD AS A CITY TO REPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE POLICE AND THE COMMUNITY. Reporter: BUT MCCORMICK COLLEGE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSOR AND FORMER COP MICHAEL BROWN DISAGREES.

THERE IS NEED FOR POLICE REFORM. BUT, TO ATTACK THIS ORGANIZATION IN STATING THEY DON'T HAVE A RIGHT TO GIVE HIM A JOB YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT THAT MESSAGE. Reporter: VAN DYKE WAS CHARGED IN THE 2014 MURDER OF LAQUAN mc dONALD AFTER THE CITY RELEASED DASH CAM VIDEO OF HIM SHOOTING THE TEEN 16 TIMES. BROWN SAYS HE IS ENTITLED TO DUE PROCESS AND THE FOP CAN HIRE WHO IT WANTS.

THERE ARE PRIVATE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SUPPORTED BY THEIR MEMBERS AND NOT PUBLIC FUNDS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. SO IT'S NOT REALLY A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. HE'S JANITOR HELPING OUT IN THE FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE AND IS NOT A SPOKESPERSON AND IS NOT ACTIVELY A POLICE OFFICER. PEOPLE SAY YOU KNOW HE IS INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY. I AGREE WITH THAT BUT BY THE SAME TOKEN, THERE IS A GREATER GOOD TO CONSIDER CAN.

Reporter: ABOUT 10 MINUTES AGO A MAN WITH A GROUP CHICAGO CODE BLUE TIED THIS BLUE RIBBON AROUND THE TREE SEVERAL TREES HERE ALONG THE STREET SAYING HE SUPPORTS OFFICER VAN DYKE AND ALSO THE HIRING OF VAN DYKE AT THE F-OP UNION HALL. I SHOULD MENTION THE FOP SAID THEY WILL RELEASE A STATEMENT IN A SHORT TIME. CHICAGO POLICE DECLINED TO COMMENT SAYING THEY ARE NOT INVOLVED IN THIS MATTER. AND AROUND NOON AS WELL AS 6: 30 THIS EVENING, PROTESTS HAVE BEEN PLANNED RIGHT HERE OUTSIDE OF THE UNION HALL. REPORTING LIVE IN WESTTOWN

A Shining School

Mr. Patton is our custodian who is a hard worker. He takes a lot of pride in our school. - I take pride in my floors and bathrooms. It's very important for kids to come to a clean school. -

he cares about the buildinghe cares about the teachers and he cares about the students. - they're kinda like his kids. He brings a smile to their face every single day. - when I see them smiling, it makes my day. I just like it. (upbeat piano music) -

mr. Patton thinks that today we are just doing a profile on the school. We wanted to do something really special to show him how much love we have in our hearts for him. He has no idea that it's all about him. -

we're gonna have a big party for mr. Patton. - I've known him since kindergarten. - he is our janitor, he is our friendhe is just the best man ever. (kids shushing) - mr. Patton? - yes, ma'am. -

we need you in the gym. We have a major spill. Can you come quickly please? - I'll get a mop and bucket, I'll be right there. - thank you. - oh, gosh. (laughs) (applause and cheers) - mr. Patton, we celebrate you and we love you so much.

You mean everything to us. - thanks. - on behalf of the kleenex brand and lockeland design centerand our (child coughing) communitywe thank you for all that you've done for us. And we're presenting with this today. For you. (applause and cheers) -

not only does he clean stuffbut he always brightens our day with funny jokes. We love and appreciate you, mr. Patton. (cheers and applause) - this is a day I'm gonna remember. I came in, I saw the kidsit was a total surprise, shock.

I rarely will drop a tear but today I drop a tear. (laughs) - he was really, really surprised. - I think he cried. - it feels good. I can have a good weekendgo home knowing that my job really does matter. To show you what love is, this was love.