'I need a hand to hold'

If we stopped after the first night of Celebrate Recovery we could say it was successful. Of course we're not stopping, but listen to what happened because of Celebrate Recovery Saturday night at the Love In Action warehouse.

One of the men we took off the streets back in February called me Saturday afternoon and told me about a woman who had been abandoned at a local hotel. He asked if he could bring her to the Celebrate Recovery BBQ Kickoff, because she needed help. I said of course, and he did.

When she walked through the door I knew she was pretty messed up on drugs, but I was glad she came. No better place for a drug addict to be than in a place where the love of God is being poured out big time.

She responded to the altar call. She wanted prayer for her addiction. Afterward, she picked out some clothes and went back to the hotel. When Richard came to church this morning he told me that when he checked on her she was going through some bad withdrawals. After church we took her to the hospital to get her in detox. I told her if she wanted help we would help her. I also told her she needed a one-year rehab, not a 30 days rehab. She agreed and said she wanted to do it.

So, we spent the day at the hospital with her. She got admitted and will go through detox. She was scared, but also excited to be starting on the road to recovery.

She's only 30 years old. She's been addicted to crack cocaine for four years. She's also an alcoholic. Just two months ago she threatened to attempt suicide. She stood on the edge of a bridge 125 feet above a bay in Florida. Thankfully, the police was able to pull her back over the railing to safety.

I looked it up online and her story was true. It was heartbreaking watching that video and looking at the photos. How many of us would have drove past her on that bridge thinking, "what a nut case!" God didn't see that. He saw a hurting young woman in need of His love. He kept her alive and brought her to Dothan, Ala., where she met a good Christian man who invited her to Celebrate Recovery. There's no doubt that God wanted us to start Celebrate Recovery on Oct. 4. He knew where Colleen would be on that date. He had it all planned. It was no coincidence. It was God's divine plan.

We talked with her all day and she shared one story after another. She shared how she prayed to God so many times. A recent prayer of hers was, "God, I need a hand to hold. Please give me a hand to hold."

She was alone. Despite being addicted to crack, she knew she had God's hand to hold onto, but she wanted someone to physically hold her hand and help her. Martha and my mom held her hand all day. We assured her she wasn't alone any longer. She knows she now has a mom and a brother and sister. My good friend Doug was with us all afternoon too and was a huge help in getting everything going today. She knows she has another brother in Doug. She knows she has a great brother in Richard, and a brother and sister in the teenagers we recently took off the streets. In other words, she knows she now has a family who will support her and help her all the way.

The plan is following detox to get her into a month-long rehab locally. That will give us time to find a good Christian year-long program. I told her that in one year from now she will be a totally different person. She said, "Yes I will be."

Please keep Colleen in your prayers. Detox is extremely tough and painful. She knows that, but she knows what's on the other side. She wants this, and that's a huge step in the right direction.

Thanks again to everyone who volunteered Saturday night at Celebrate Recovery. Because you gave of your time, all of you have changed a life. There's no doubt she was not long for this world on the path she was on. But now, she has a bright future, and an eternity to look forward to.