In honor of my Lord and Savior: Matiguas Drug Rehab Center

It's great to get to be able to speak to these folks in the Matiguas drug rehab center. Last week I shared with them a lesson about standing alone in their faith. For many of these men and women it's easy to praise God and live a life apart from drugs and alcohol inside the facility, but outside can be a different story. As successful as these programs have been for many people, there are always some that go back to the same habits they desired to be away from. Society has a tricky way of making everything look "good" in nature, and does very little to accommodate a recovering addict. For those in this rehab center, going back into society, there will be very few, if any other people who understand the battle they are going through. It's the story of any Christian. As humans we struggle with sin, and when we become aware of our addiction to it we begin to understand we need help. Jesus Christ is the only one capable of freeing us from our sinfulness. Any recovering addict deals with the same problem. No one around is convicted of their issue quite like they are, and thus there continues to be great pressure from society to continue in the error of their ways. For a Christian there are a great number of standards set high alongside the low moral standards of society. The bible's forbiddance of sex before marriage, intoxication, unwholesome language, divorce, hatred, among other things, is a blatant contradiction to what society allows to take place every day. In other words, as a Christian you are going to be outnumbered. The bible prepares us for it from its front cover to the last page in revelation. Joseph stood alone in an Egyptian prison, Noah stood alone looking like a fool while building a huge ship on dry land that had never seen rain, Elijah stood alone surrounded by 450 prophets of false gods that would've killed him had God not provided a miracle, and our Savior Jesus Christ stood alone as he was beaten and persecuted by the very men he came to save. There is one thing that all of these men held in common. They held fast to the faith they had in God our Father, understanding that they were truly never alone. The focus for anyone addicted to sin (everyone) cannot be on what is being given up, or else the habit will never be overcome. The focus has to be on what is to be gained. Giving up anything sinful is a small price to pay in return for the rewards God promises, both in this life and in the next. After we prayed for the group at the rehab center, 8 people made the commitment to be baptized. Jeffrey Alberto Colero Rivera, Karla Patricia Sandino Cros, Marvin Jose Mendez Mercado, Francisco Jose Juares Alvarado, Julio Cesar Ballastero Flores, Vismar Antonio Mendes Senteno, Everton Yovann Centeno Mendez, and Milan Montinero all repented of their past before God and made a commitment to start a new life in Jesus Christ. I can't describe to you in words the experience of standing before these broken hearted people who have gone through tremendous hardship and seeing them soak in the truth of God's word.

Yesterday we visited again to share some food and God's word, as well as spend some time with those that we baptized last week. So many people come forward and ask us to pray for things in their lives and with their families. It's a great honor to be able to serve all these people. There's one man in particular who I love seeing every time we go. His name is Jorge. He's a giant of a man who is built, maybe 250 pounds. He reminds me of the prisoner in the Green Mile (the movie with Tom Hanks), just a huge friendly man who likes to smile. Jorge praises God like it's the greatest blessing on earth, I guess because it is. The older I get I have a tremendous respect for soft hearted people, regardless of physical stature. No one can soften a man's heart like God, and it's evident when God's done just that in a person's life.

The Matiguas drug rehab center is funded only by the families of the those enrolled in their program, many of whom are not responsible enough to follow through with their financial commitment, leaving the rehab center in a tough place financially. As we normally bring snacks and drinks and have brought sacks of rice and beans with us before, it's been requested that we help support the center with food. A 100 pound sack of rice costs around $45, while a 100 pound sack of beans costs about $35. The $50 it takes to feed a family at a restaurant in the states would provide food for the 80+ residents of the Matiguas facility for several days. Anyone interested in helping financially with this particular ministry is welcome to donate through the paypal link on the right hand side of the page or through the Laurel Church of Christ. I ask that regardless of whether you're able to help financially that you would help prayerfully, especially for the 8 people we baptized, named above. Thank you all for your continued support of this ministry, God bless!