Have you ever been driving and taken a wrong turn when you have no map and no GPS? You feel frustrated at best and helpless at worst. Often the first reaction is self condemnation...."I'm so stupid" or"I should have known better." As the saying goes...we've all "been there and done that!" Sometimes that happens to people in their automobiles and sometimes that happens to people in their life.
We had an article run in a local newspaper and out of it came an encounter with people who had lost sight of The Cross...God's Positioning Satellite. Their life went off the road and into a ditch. Some skidded off into a life of drugs, others let sex put the brakes on happiness, there were those who crashed into a wall excessive drinking and then there were the ones who had prescriptions for their pain and before they knew it, the meds had them! ....all were addicted and their life was spinning out of control. They had lost the map that led to hope....
Behind the trees, hidden from the highway was an oasis that stopped time and space and let "the lost" take a breath and refocus on the only thing that could get them back on course... The Cross. It was the brain child of Pastor Andy at Abundant Life Church in Waynesboro, MS. New Life Deliverance Treatment Center has no web site...not even an email. "How do people find you?" I asked Miss Paula. "God sends them," she smiled.
God sent us there when a car stopped with four women in it and they asked me to come and speak to the ladies. I readily agreed, caught up to Lucy and followed their SUV up the road for about fifteen miles before we turned into the woods. We hadn't gone far when we stopped in front of two double wide mobile homes. As we followed Miss Paula in, we found ourselves encircled by about two dozen women of all ages setting tables and getting ready for lunch. We enjoyed a meal together, spoke with them as a group and then spent some time with a few of the ladies individually. These were good people....people just like you and I...who made some bad choices and were now suffering the consequences. Some had been in prison, some still had loved ones incarcerated. There were mothers who had lost their children to the welfare system and women who had been in horrible spousal relationships.
Lucy was overcome with a sorrow in her spirit. I was encouraged to see people have a desire to change; to finally say "NO MORE!" to living in a pit of darkness. They asked us to go to a revival with them that evening and, of course, we said "yes." As we left them that afternoon and jumped into the RV, we just looked at each other. We loved being there with them. We wish we could continue to serve Christ in this capacity forever!
That night we went to church and each lady was dressed very nicely; their hair was done, their makeup applied and their clothes were neatly pressed. If you had seen them that night, you would have never guessed their life story...their heartache and heartbreak. Scriptures tell us not to show favoritism but sometimes.....
If you know of someone who is addicted to anything...call Jim Riley (601) 735-6447 for men or Paula Riley (601) 410-8662.
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