This past Monday, we had the opportunity to visit a rehab
centre for drug and alcohol abuse. It was very last minute, and only 4 of us
went with an YWAM missionary. After 40 minutes and a couple of wrong turns, we
approached a large 2-story brick house that looked to be in the finishing
stages of construction. A large man in track pants and a tank top that revealed
his wide frame and ‘SV’ tattooed on his arm greeted us with a large smile,
revealing a gold tooth.
He showed us inside through the kitchen to a room with 5
bunk beds, a sofa, a TV, some chairs, and bookshelf where 4 other men were. Two
of them were reading the Bible as we entered their room. They promptly began
sharing their testimonies one by one as my heart began to melt. To call this
place a “rehab centre” would be an insult. This is a place where men serve,
pray, encourage, and cook for one another, and clean and build the house they
are living in, not unlike the Gesundheit! Institute (Patch Adams) in West
Virginia.
The big man who showed us in was ex-military. He used to be
a heavy alcoholic, but God helped him get back on track through the rehab
centre, and now he’s on staff helping other men in similar situations. The next
man sat had a small stature, but a very pleasant smile. He used to be buy goods
and sell them for profit during communist times, which was considered illegal
or smuggling. He joked that now the people that do the same are called “businessman.”
His vision has been slowly deteriorating, so other men help him read the Bible.
The third man, a Russian, inspired me the most. He used to
be a boxer, but got into drugs and alcohol at a young age. He explained how
when he was little, he had this unknown desire to go to Odessa in the Ukraine.
When his life was falling apart, he hopped on freight trains and walked over
80km to make it to Odessa over 7 days. He was near some camp grounds where he
heard worship music for a week-long Christian conference. Immediately he began
to sob, and was drawn to the campsite. The he accepted Christ and determined to
change his life around. He explained his body does not show the typical signs
of alcohol abuse in any way and credits it a miracle from God. He creates
wooden carvings and sells them to profit the house. I wanted to remember him
and that day so I bought one and had him sign the back.
Another man used to be a military doctor, but is now deaf.
The other men use writing to communicate. He did not want to share about
himself, but the other men explained that he has accepted Christ at the house.
The last man used to be a youth pastor. He struggled with alcohol very much and
lived a double life. At one point, he was drinking rubbing alcohol. He came to the
house because he knew that he couldn’t change himself, and needed help.
After the men shared, we briefly shared about our trip, and
then the YWAM missionary shared his. He has so much stress that after a stress
test, the doctor told him that he could have a heart attack any day and needed
to be hospitalized. What’s more, they found a new incurable lung disease. Him
and his wife turned to the Lord and became Christians. He found himself in Hong
Kong one time and felt the calling to become a full-time missionary overseas.
Before he left for Ukraine, he went for a final check up in the States. Usually
the result letter would be a single page. He got back two pages in the mail.
One showed that all of his tests were negative. The second page was a letter
from his doctor explaining that there were no traces of anything he was
suffering from before, and he, all the specialists and examiners have never
seen anything like it.
While we were there, the men shared that for a while, they
have been praying for God for an encouragement, and us visiting them was the
answer to their prayers. Wives, children and friends have left these men. When the world shunned them, Jesus accepted, and they experienced that first hand. When everyone turned their back on them, God still had a plan for them. When we were asked if we wanted to visit the centre,
we could have said ‘no.’ It really wasn’t a part of our ministry here, and at
first I wanted to rest and practice guitar and maybe nap. Instead, I chose in,
and was inspired and encouraged the most I have been on the race. Praise the
Lord.
