Sani K
November 6
Dimapur, (MExN): Prodigal’s Home (PH) has been exploring innovative ways to combat substance abuse with the purpose to restore and mainstream the marginalized. Rehabilitation is at the core of the Home’s focus. After Care Center (ACC) and Women Short Stay Home (WSSH) are PH’s rehab centers for men and women respectively. These centers, like many others, are not ends but passages. They do not promise but offer choices.
A first of its kind for the organization, PH held a three day (3-5 November) winter retreat camp under the theme ‘Seeking a passage to Restoration’ for the residents of ACC and WSSH at Thilixu village, Dimapur, where Kilang Jamir, missionary, Nehemiah India, four members from the Adonai worship center (AWC) and Temsü Naro, the camp director facilitated the camp. There were eight campers from WSSH and twenty ACC residents.
The camp witnessed as much tears of joy as laughter and smiles fuelled by the excitement of “experiencing Christ”. Kilang Jamir, a man of Vision and Mission, captured the hearts of these young men and women; hungry for love, secretly longing for somebody to say “I Care”, “God truly cares”. “For most diseases there are medicines but there is one disease for which there are no medicines and that disease is, ‘Regret’,” the speaker stated. He urged the campers to take advantage of the ‘privileged’ moment to shed their past lives and dedicate their lives to God to evade regret later.
The Praise and Worship Team of Among, Abem, Sünep and Toshi, from AWC brought smiles and put songs in the hearts of everyone. ACC reverberated with melodies; healing songs for the broken hearted, soothing songs for the hungry soul and spirit, and songs praising God.
The last session of the camp saw twenty individuals respond to the altar call. Each with their own burdens responded to the speaker’s call to ‘dedicate your life to Jesus and let Jesus share your burdens from this moment’.
‘Voices from the heart’ of the Campers echoed desires of shunning old ways for a fuller life with Christ. “The joy and ecstasy I encountered here was something drugs could never give me”, said a young man struggling to come out of his addiction.
“I have always tried to run away from God but this time God caught up with me. And from now I will ever walk and run but with God” affirmed Sashi, a resident of ACC. He also stated that the ‘process of change hurts’ but that with God he was not scared to walk the righteous path to complete recovery. A young lady, choked with emotions said, “I am poor but now I know God is not interested in riches but loves me just as I am”.
“A vacuum in my heart has been filled by God. Now I know that I am not alone anymore. I can now always turn to God for solace, guidance, and support”, said Tomika, a senior resident of ACC.
“I could see joy and changes taking within among the bright faces of the campers. God’s mighty act and miraculous power have been revealed in this camp”, stated Naro, the camp director.
As a grand finale, the camp concluded with a brief ‘candle light service’ where each held a candle and in turn lighted the candle of one’s neighbor. The underlying message was, “We all have a candle in our hearts. Light it and use it to light another”.
