Progress Reports
From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!
We appreciate your prayers and support.
We presently have 15 men in our care: 11 living in our facilities and 4 living on their own as they continue to attend our church services and classes.
Galatians 6:1 describes the process of addiction recovery:
"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness…" Galatians 6:1
Regarding the word "restore" in this verse, Vine's Dictionary states, {The tense is the continuous present, suggesting the necessity for patience and perseverance in the process}.
We are well aware of the patience and perseverance needed in the addiction recovery ministry. Restoring ruined lives is hard work!
The restoration (recovery) process we use is community based with control. As the souls in our care live in the community, we keep control of their social activities. As they work in the community, we keep control of their money and assets. When they progress spiritually we reward them with more freedoms (cell phone, visits home, job, schooling, car, their own apartment, etc.). If/When they relapse we make them start all over. If they prematurely leave the program their family gets their savings and their car.
Ideally, we would like to maintain this level of control for 1-year. Six-months can be adequate but 90-days is not enough.
You can view a sample of one of the actual contracts we have with the men by clicking here.
Because of the bad economy we had to rent a mobile home 60 miles from Waycross. Jacksonville is the closest big city where the men could find jobs. Kevin, Randy and Todd live in this facility. We use the internet and WebCam technology for our daily meetings and they return to Waycross all day on Sundays.
Last month two of the men were baptized into Christ!! We studied with Todd for about 30 days before he decided to obey the Gospel. His parents are longtime residents of Waycross. Todd has been with us 55 days.
Billy was baptized on the same Wednesday night that Todd was. He also studied for about one-month before requesting to be baptized. His mother is a member of the church of Christ in Quitman, Georgia. After the baptism, Billy fell into her arms as they both cried. He has been with us 54 days.
Beau had his first Christmas in a long time with his 3-year-old little girl Alice! Regarding Beau's restoration process, he has accomplished a lot! For the past 350 days he has lived in the community while we have kept control of his money and truck. The process is working!
Travis has been back with us 129 days. He was previously with us 6-months, graduated, and was drunk in one-week. He has resisted the Galatians 6:1 restoration process, having relapsed several times. His contract with us ends on May 1st. Next week he will move to live with his mother in Texas. He will attend our meetings by WebCam and attend church services with his mother. I tried to talk his mother (a member of the church of Christ in Kerrville, Texas) out of taking him in. I do not believe Travis will remain drug and alcohol free.
David has been back with us 185 days. He previously graduated our 90-day program, went home, and relapsed on drugs after 1-month. David has done very well in the 6-months he has been back with us. He decided to stay here in Waycross where he has a strong system of support. He is in his own apartment paying all of his own bills. He still turns over his paycheck to us. He completes his contract in about a month.
Randy has been with us for 246 days. His restoration process has been a real roller coaster ride. However, right now Randy is at his best. He finally found a job and is staying in our Callahan facility. He is planning on working for us when we expand the program. Randy's mother is a member of the church of Christ in Evansville, Indiana.
Kevin has been in the program 250 days. He is having a tough time spiritually and emotionally, but his attitude is improving. Kevin's wife is a member of the church of Christ in New Mexico.
Van has been with us 142 days. From the beginning, he has worked hard on his spiritual growth. He is now working with us in our ministering efforts. His help is keeping me from burning out. Van's mother is a member of the church of Christ in Baytown, Texas.
Marcus has been with us 102 days. He suffers from an emotional disorder separate from his addiction problems. He has detoxed off of three anti-depressants. This has been very hard on him!
Paul has been with us 100 days. His recovery has had its ups and downs. The up was a 2 months ago when he decided to be baptized. The down was one-week ago when we caught him using Cocaine. His mother has been a great help in his restoration process. She said NO to his request to come back and live with her here in Waycross. Paul had to sign-up for six more months or live on the streets without his car. He signed-up.
Timothy has been with us 67 days. His attitude is very good and he is growing in his knowledge of God's word. He is struggling with his understanding of baptism. He is now working two part-time jobs.
Daniel has been with us 51 days. He has resisted our attempts to get him to pray, read and study the Bible. However in the last two-weeks his attitude has improved. I pleaded with his father to make him stay in the program longer than 90-days.
Craig has been in the program 37 days. His sister who lives in Valdosta, Georgia, brought him to us. Craig, a butcher by trade, is looking for a job.
After graduating the program, Chris and Ryan are continuing in the faith. Ryan is living with his grandparents and working for Beau.
Chris is serving as our house manager. His oversight of the entire operation is a tremendous help to me. He does most of the leg-work, freeing me to do the counseling and classes. Chris also teaches the Friday night class.
Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we try our best to help these struggling men find their way back to God. We want to express our gratitude for all the help you have been to us during the past year and extend our best wishes to you for a happy and prosperous new year.
In Christian love,
Ronnie Crocker