*Coming to you from Life House Church’s Coffee Shop in Coffs Harbour, Australia*
Manual labor has never been my thing. I mean, I’ve done farm chores and yard work my whole life, but I’ve never put max capacity effort into it. In fact, whenever asked to do chores, I typically accompanied it with an exasperated sigh, slow moving feet, and quite frankly whining. In college, we’d let the lawn get so out of control our neighbor Pat would weasel his way over to our side with his shears and threaten to buy us goats. As an adult, I got smart and decided to live in a town house where there’s paid landscapers who do it for you. However, in the humid Australian heat with very little breeze, I mowed the grass. And I did it with a determined, joy filled heart!
On Wednesday, January 22, I was blessed with the opportunity of volunteering at Sherwood Cliffs Christian Rehab Centre. Now that you have the vision of a rehab center in your mind, erase it. Trust me, it wasn’t anything like a glorified nursing home. Set on 130 acres in a rural part of Australia, outside Coffs Harbour, sits a self-sufficient farm in the crevice of a cliff. They have a thriving garden to provide fresh vegetables, an orchard for fruit, the dairy cows give milk, and the chickens lay eggs, the cattle are sold for meat, the bees provide pure honey, and I’m pretty sure the parrot is just there for entertainment.
In 1971, John and Honi Reifler felt God burdening them to provide a place for those struggling with addiction. A place for them to have time to grow: physically, mentally and spiritually. Seven years later Sherwood became the result of that vision. Sherwood’s mission is to refresh the weary, refocus the lost, and rebuild the broken. They call the people who check into rehab “seekers”. I asked Honi where that name came from and she said, “the people who come here are seeking for hope, redemption, and a chance to rebuild. Sometimes they don’t even know what they’re seeking but they know they need a change.” To heal from addiction of drugs and alcohol the seekers’s program helps establish a healthy lifestyle including an active work routine, regular exercise and the re-establishment of good sleep routines. They also have morning devotionals and worship. On Sunday’s they participate in a local Baptist church.
They also are one of the only rehab centers who accept families. I think that is so incredible! If one member of the family is in need of help, they get to move to Sherwood together, to heal and become whole again as a family. I learned that the goal of Sherwood is to provide a family orientated environment where unconditional love and acceptance is evident; where family relationships are re-developed and where wider support networks are developed to enable a smooth transition to live in the wider community once rehabilitation is complete.
Sherwood is the most successful rehabilitation center in Australia, and they have the lowest return rate. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Because above all, the seekers get shown the love of Jesus. He invades their life in the most profound and dependent way. So not only do they get to leave behind a dependency on substances, they get to gain a dependency on the Lord.
Having the opportunity to be a part of their routine was extremely impactful. Not only did I get to talk with the seekers but also work alongside them. Every day they work on the farm as part of their rehab, sweating out the drugs and alcohol, they’re on a path of healing. So that’s why I was so joy filled to mow the lawn alongside these men. Because I got to be a small part of their journey to a new life.
As you can see this ministry really impacted me. I’ve seen first-hand how substance abuse can tear apart a family, dim the light from people’s lives, and set them on a journey of seeking something greater that they don’t understand. Earthly desires will never be enough to satisfy the soul. Only a relationship with Jesus can fully satisfy. Getting to meet a family and their volunteers, who for two generations, have dedicated their lives to a self-sacrificing commitment to people showed me once again what this journey of total dependency on Him looks like. The best part? I get to go back again next week! Hopefully, I remember sunscreen this time.
PS. I also got to hike up the cliff and overlook the farm. Phones aren’t allowed on the farm because it can become a temptation for the seekers to try and get drugs. So, as I was standing on the cliff praying over the farm with members of my squad and YWAM, all I got to take was a mental picture. I thought of the irony of that moment. Sometimes I go on a hike just to see the end result and get a good picture. But I was reminded in that moment to just sit in God’s glory and rely on Him for the vivid image of seeing this farm from above. Life isn’t about getting temporary moments of satisfaction and a picture to last a lifetime, it’s about sitting in his presence and allowing true memories to last a lifetime.
