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Road to Recovery Newsletter - June 2017

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce to you Mitch and Joy Vincent, the newest addition to our Recovery Team.

Mitch and Joy met and fell in love doing Ministry to the down and out on Skid Row in LA.  Since that time they've been in full-time Ministry working with those who have struggled with addictions. They have been serving in Recovery Ministry for the past 10 years and bring with them that wealth of experience. Joy has a BA from Azusa Pacific University in Christian Ministries and a minor in Psychology and Mitch has a Masters degree from the School of Hard Knocks. Both Mitch and Joy have a heart for people.  Especially those who are striving to overcome the obstacles in their lives to walk in submitted obedience to Christ and enjoy helping and loving them on that path.

 As our dear friend Rod would say, "Celebrate Recovery is the best place to be on a Thursday night." And we couldn't agree more.  



Please join us as we work through our hurts, habits and hang ups and receive healing.

 

It is a privilege for us to share a testimony with you of a married couple who attends Celebrate Recovery.  Their story is a testament to God’s unfailing love.
Their names are Miguel and Lorena.

 When Miguel and Lorena were first married Miguel had very high expectations of Lorena and felt frustrated and confused when his way of leading his family didn’t work. Over the course of time their discussions turned into disagreements which turned into arguments. Their problems grew bigger and if you were to ask Miguel he, at the time, would blame Lorena; he would refer to her as a trouble maker. He realized later that his own pride was stopping him from recognizing his own fault and failure.
Their physical and verbal abuse towards one another was affecting their son. They ended up separating and during this time Miguel realized that while he was able to hide this part of his life from those around him, he could not hide from God. God was working on his heart and he knew he needed to repent.
Lorena was a new believer and did not understand the meaning of a wife submitting to her husband. She was an independent woman with a good job, her own home and she was successfully raising her son as a single mom. The word ‘submit’ was not a part of her vocabulary.  In her new-believer mind she thought that marrying a Christian would make life easier but the changes were difficult. She did not know how to depend on a man. The power struggle lasted four and a half years. She made it very clear to him that she and her son did not need him. She did not respect Miguel.
The couple moved to Rosarito and started attending Calvary Chapel.  Their Pastors along with brothers and sisters in the Lord tried to help but they were rebellious and chose to mask their problems. They pretended that everything was good until they were unable to keep it hidden. They were on their way to a divorce.
Miguel’s pride in not wanting to recognize that he was wrong held him back from leading his family well. Christian brothers from church starting holding him accountable and as much as it hurt to admit the truth he couldn’t hide his sin anymore.  At the encouragement of friends both Miguel and Lorena started attending the Celebrate Recovery program. Miguel was convinced that he didn’t need the program for himself but insisted that they both go so that he could make sure Lorena was attending – she was the one that needed to change, not him.
Lorena started attending so that people would see that she was the victim in their marriage. She wanted people to see that she was the one that moved away from family and a good job to endure a dysfunctional marriage. Going through the step studies of Celebrate Recovery she realized that she was not just a victim but also a victimizer. They were both at fault. They were both prideful and hard-hearted. They treated each other wrong and did not honor God.

 

Miguel and Lorena are not perfect but they are walking the road of recovery together, hand in hand; it is painful at times but definitely worth it. God is restoring their marriage and it is because of His unfailing love and mercy that they are able to share this part of their journey with us.

 ~ Please continue to pray for our sister in Christ, Cheryl, as she learns to live life without her partner in ministry, Rod.

~ Please pray for our team as we continue to realize how many different 'hats' Rod wore and as we learn to walk forward filling in where he used to be.

~ Praise God with us for bringing Mitch and Joy into the Recovery Ministry, for equipping them with the tools needed to help lead this ministry. Pray that they will be used by God to further His Kingdom.

~ Pray for those within the program who are working on their hurts, habits and hang ups that they would feel the love of God being poured out on them as they find healing in Him.

We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to our Third Annual Celebrate Recovery One Day Seminar at Calvary Chapel Rosarito. This bilingual event will take place on Saturday, October 14, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Special Guests will be Cesar and Olga Villarreal.

If you or someone you know is interested in raising funds for this event to provide the meal and the materials for the day please click on the button below to make a donation.  Any church or family teams interested in coming down that weekend to help us set up, serve and clean up would be appreciated; please connect with us on FaceBook or via email for more details on where you would be able to serve.

Thank you for your love, your words of encouragement, your prayers and your financial gifts. Thank you for walking the Road to Recovery with us.

A testimony from one of "our girls on the inside": Alli

My name is Alli and I am a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. I am recovering from drug addiction and struggle with resentment, the need for revenge and the fear of rejection.

Growing up I felt rejected by my family so I chose to isolate myself from people. I was quiet, scared and had low self-esteem.  I felt ugly.  My parents were not around much so my grandmother ended up raising me.  At 15 I met the man who I married and we had 2 children together.

Although we didn’t have God in our lives, our marriage was good.  Good, until one  day my husband started using drugs and ended up cheating on me.  When I found out I didn’t know how to respond; so I chose to follow his lead into the drug world hoping that this would make him leave the other woman and stay with me. I thought I could help him but the drugs ended up destroying my life.   All I wanted was to get high and I didn’t care how I achieved it. I began stealing, prostituting myself and selling drugs. I got involved with people I never imagined I would be around.  I saw and did horrible things and I didn’t care.  The lowest point in my life was when I had my kids involved in selling drugs.

I was charged with homicide and was sent to prison.  When I arrived here I thought my life was over but little did I know it was just beginning.  I was invited to join a group called Celebrate Recovery. God is restoring my life through this program.  I have discovered God’s love for me. I am behind bars but I am free because of God and His love for me.  Through Celebrate Recovery I have learned to give God my hate, resentment and pain.  I am no longer a slave to sin and in my heart there is peace and joy. 

God bless you and thank you for letting me share.

Alli

1 John 4:19

A testimony from one of "our girls on the inside": Keren

I would like to share something that I wrote eight years ago when I had just arrived in prison. “This place suffocates me, I can’t breathe.  I am tired of living here but this is my reality.  These 3 walls, the bars, the lock, I live in a very small space and seeing the same faces every day is frustrating.  This is not my home and my inmates are not my family.  This is a place where you learn to be a strong woman. You learn to value everything you have, what you had and what’s left.  You put barrier in your heart so nothing can hurt you but you still suffer.”   I had placed that barrier in my heart and as the years passed by I realized that it wasn’t right. I also learned how to deceive myself when I needed to – I can eat when I’m not hungry, sleep when I’m not tired, laugh when inside I feel like crying. I can give advice when it’s me who needs to receive it. I am able to speak with others when I don’t feel like speaking. When I first got to prison I learned to live when I really wished I would die.

But after all these years, I am now able to say that I am here for a reason. I understand that I am here to change many things in my life that were wrong. I’m not a bad person but I have made poor choices. I didn’t intentionally hurt people in my life but living and participating in a world of alcoholism, drugs, and prostitution will lead you down a path that has consequences. I am in prison for being in the wrong place with the wrong people.

I’ve learned so many things in the last 8 years.  Celebrate Recovery is offered here and I have been attending. Principle 2 is one of my favorites. It says, “Earnestly believe that God exists, that I matter to him, and that he has the power to help me recover. “ I am learning to forgive myself and others, to love my neighbor and to be a better person each day.  Through Celebrate Recovery I met God and have learned that he loves me and is always with me.  I am changing.  I give thanks to God for my son, family, friends, the Celebrate Recovery program and surprisingly to this prison because if I hadn’t been here maybe I would never have changed my way of living. I know that God is preparing something for me and I know that it is something much better than I could ever come up with.

I would like to thank the sisters that bring Celebrate Recovery into the prison each week. Thank you for showing us how great our God is and how much he loves us.

Thank you for letting me share.

Keren

All names have been changed to protect their identity

Ray's Testimony

Hello my name is Ray and I am a faithful believer in Jesus Christ.  I battle with anger and self-esteem issues.

When I was 8 years old my dad was murdered on his way home from work.  I questioned God regarding this event in my life and ended up walking away from Him. I wanted nothing to do with God.  As I grew up I started going to parties and gay night clubs. It didn’t take long until I was dressing like a woman, telling my family that I was gay.  5 years into my gay lifestyle I shared with my family that I wanted to have an operation to become a woman.  My mom, who is a Christian, hugged me and told me that she loved me as did God.  I was so angry that when she gave me a Bible and I ended up throwing it at her. Oh how I caused her heart to ache, but, I didn’t care; I was so caught up in the gay lifestyle.

One night, while at a gay club, a young man approached me and asked if he could take me home.  I don’t know what happened that night but I woke up at the Red Cross.  I was beaten and bruised.  Doctors told me that I had been thrown from a car traveling at a high speed.  The doctor told me that I should thank God for saving my life. In that moment I began to cry as I remembered the words of my mom. As soon as I was released from the hospital I went to seek forgiveness from my mom.  She took me to church the following Sunday where I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

The people of my mom’s church were so wonderful even though I was still dressing like a woman and wearing makeup. I am so thankful for their help and advice.  After 2 years of attending my Pastor suggested to me that it was time to start serving.  I joined the Usher’s team. When I was told about the Celebrate Recovery program that our church offered I was so thankful that I didn’t know what to do.  I praise God for the volunteers who took the time to explain the program and invite me to the Thursday night share time. I thank God for allowing me receive the great blessing of having Celebrate Recovery in my life.  I see, think, love and speak different.  The program is a tool that taught me to love myself, forgive myself and my enemies because I do not live anymore but Christ lives in me.

 

Thank you for letting me share.

Ray

*all names have been changed to protect their identity