Wheeler Mission's Blog

By now, I’m sure you have heard the phrase “Happy New Year!” pass over the lips of many people. Was that a phrase you received well, or in your mind did you revert back to your favorite phrase from Christmas – “Bah! Humbug!”?

I, too, wish you a Happy New Year and encourage you to think of 2012 as “a new sheet of paper for you to write on.” Consider the following verses from Scripture as you think about the new year with which you have been blessed:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:19

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

May you indeed have a Happy New Year, blessed by the God who holds you in His hand. What will you write on the new sheet a paper before you?

Rick

Addicts often prefer isolation. If they do choose to be around people – most likely it’s people who also use.
Many, many of the people who come through our doors have abandoned their families because addiction is ruling their life.
That was the story of one of the men in our addiction recovery program who grew up in the South. At his graduation several months ago, his sister testified that for many years, the family didn’t know if he was dead or alive. Imagine the heartbreak of not knowing where your brother might be – is he safe? Is he sober? Is he on the streets? Who does he spend his day with?
Then one day, after he had been clean and sober for several months, he called his sister to tell her he was in a recovery program at Wheeler Mission in Indiana. When it was time for him to graduate from the program, he invited his family to come see first-hand what had happened to him. It was more than a reunion – it was a celebration of the lost brother who had now been found. He wept over the grief he had caused them, asking their forgiveness and confessing to them that while in his addiction, “I was destroying lives.”
The family has reconciled, and they continue to deepen their restored relationships. The young man has been clean and sober now for more than two years , is employed, active in his church, and living on his own.
I thank God for new life that is found in and through Christ!

Rick

Labels: families of addicts

Addiction weighs a person down with manifold hard realities.
That was the case of a middle aged woman I will call Sue. Her multiple-year drug addiction brought several complex situations to her life: debt, unemployment, strained family relationships, poor health, and homelessness. At the end of her rope, Sue came to Wheeler’s Center for Women and Children and entered the Higher Ground Addiction Recovery Program in 2001.
The difficult issue of personal debt is approached at the Center in a Financial Management Class called Credit when Credit it Due. Through this multi-week class, taught by a retired banking professional, Sue was able to secure her credit report. She learned that several thousand dollars in medical bills had been reported as unpaid. These were fraudulent charges which Sue was able to have erased. Sue used the information she learned in class to get her financial situation rectified. She continued to pursue her recovery and graduate from the Higher Ground Program, moved on to find employment, pay off her outstanding debt, and open a checking account. Sue says that working through the financial issues “was the beginning of some wonderful things happening for me.”
Five years ago, due to her disciplined financial management, Sue was able to buy a house. She lives within her budget, pays her bills on time, is a valued employee, has reconciled with her family, and is active in her church. She has been sober for more than ten years.
The Credit when Credit is Due class has proved to be an instrument of change in the lives of many women who are facing the consequences of their addiction. Please keep these ladies in your prayers as they work toward sobriety.

Rick

Labels: addiction consequences

After 21 years of faithful service to homeless and addicted men, Fran Gall is retiring. Fran served as a Chaplain at Wheeler Mission Ministries Shelter for Men, offering counsel and hope to those who were beaten down by life.

Fran was honored recently at a reception where several of the men he mentored, discipled, and counseled gave testimony to the great impact he had on their lives. These are men who came through the doors of the mission more than 10 years ago, with an addiction ruling their lives – who are now living a life of sobriety. Along with this new life, these men are enjoying restored family relationships, involvement in their church, full time employment, and renewed purpose as they continue to serve God.

Thanks, Fran, for all your efforts over the last 21 years. You have made a difference in the lives of hundreds of men. Well done.

Rick

I had the privilege of preaching a Sunday morning sermon recently on the role of prayer in the work of missions. A graduate of Wheeler’s addiction recovery program came along with me to share his testimony. He has been clean for more than six years now, and as he looked back on life, he shared how the prayers of his mom, friends, teachers, - even people he didn’t know - played a huge part in his recovery.
Are you praying for someone who is addicted? Have hope. God can redeem. God can change a life. Listen to what God can do in a person’s life from Psalm 40: “I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.”
Keep prayin’. God hears.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, please call for help. You may call 317-636-2720 for information on men’s programming.
For women’s programming, please call 317-687-3630. Ask to speak with a manager of our addiction recovery programs.

Rick

Labels: recovery programs Indianapolis

Watching a loved one destroy their lives through addiction is heart-wrenching. Many times an addict will go into isolation – abandoning those who love and care for them. They will simply “disappear” and spiral deeper and deeper into their addiction as they lose touch with their families.
I have heard many a mother say, “I didn’t know if he was alive or dead.”
Pray, not just for the addict, but for families who agonize over a family member in the grip of addiction. It’s a hard and difficult road they walk. If you know someone who is grieving over the pain of a loved one’s addiction, I encourage you to reach out to them, offer them grace, let them tell their story, and then hold them up in prayer.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18 (NIV)
Rick

Labels: addiction effects on families

Have you made plans yet for Thanksgiving Day? Why not make an effort to participate in Wheeler’s annual run/walk through Broad Ripple, called the Drumstick Dash®, held every Thanksgiving morning.
You can run, walk, or volunteer – all of which will help make this event a success! Visit www.drumstickdash.org to register as a runner/walker or to volunteer. Rain or shine, it’s a really great way to start your Thanksgiving Day.
Hope to see many of your there!

Rick

Labels: run for the homeless