As you know, the opioid epidemic is ever increasing. A few years ago, so many of us thought of drug addiction as a problem that impacted “other people.” For decades, people struggling with addiction have been called every name in the book, as the average person was able to think of this issue as something removed and distant. We could go along our merry way believing that it was not hard to avoid this strange phenomenon that some called a choice and others called a disease. “Just don’t do drugs,” we would pretty sensibly think.
And then our neighbor’s son was caught with heroin in his locker. A nice kid. Football player, straight A student. And then a coworker was mysteriously absent for a few weeks and came back to painfully explain that they had been abusing prescription drugs and had gone to rehab. A close friend’s wife slowly deteriorated as she went from using prescription drugs, becoming dependent, and eventually turning to illegal opioids. A cousin dies from an overdose. A nephew’s marriage ends due to addiction. A young family from church is killed by a driver under the influence of heroin.
This use of opioids is being called an epidemic, a crisis. There is no ignoring it. Drug addiction is ruining lives and ending them. In Allegheny County alone, last year there were over 600 overdose deaths. There would have been much more if not for the life-saving opioid reversing drug, Narcan, administered by hospitals and EMS personnel. We can no longer act as though drug use does not affect us. It is true that we can choose to avoid drugs. We are always responsible for our own choices. But we must have mercy and compassion on people who have made some poor choices and are now completely trapped in addiction.
At Light of Life, we offer hope to those who are turning away from addiction through our long term residential recovery programs for men and women. We are developing new ways to serve our beloved community, to support those affected by addiction. We invite you to attend our upcoming gala, where in addition to celebrating the hope in recovery and lives changed, we will be taking a closer look at homelessness and addiction. Join us to be one of the first to experience a new art installation, The Eye of the Needle. Click here to learn more about attending this event.
You can partner with Light of Life by praying for us and those we serve, volunteering or providing financial support. We serve men, women, and children struggling with addiction, homelessness, and poverty. Please consider being a part of this important work as we offer the love of Christ, one person at a time.
Spring has sprung and the Mission is busier than ever. We have experienced an influx of requests for shelter over the past couple of months and our staff has mobilized to accommodate those in need, even when it has stretched us beyond capacity. We don’t like to turn anyone away, as we know that walking through our doors can be a life changing step for those we serve.
We recently celebrated Easter, sharing the gospel message of hope with many visitors that day, and serving nearly 1000 meals to our hungry neighbors. As the weather improves, we will be busy with events that raise funds for the organization, such as the upcoming Tunch and Wolf Walk for the Homeless and our Day of Hope picnic. And some activities at the Mission move outdoors, as we take our clients who are in our residential programs on adventures such as team building, fitness and entertainment excursions, helping them to learn what it means to have fun, relax and socialize without drugs or alcohol. One of our favorite things to do is organize staff-client sports games. Last year we enjoyed a fierce game of volleyball and an intense 9 innings of softball.
Our guests and clients are not a faceless group of people that we are vaguely aware need help. These are individual people who have problems that have led them to the point of homelessness. When I think of them, I think of individual people. I think of Kyle, a smart, thoughtful, kind young man in recovery from addiction who is a great writer and has a wonderful sense of humor. I think of Jana, a loving, caring mother who came through our program while pregnant, and who has a healthy little girl and recently completed a degree in social work. I think of James, a client with some debilitating mental health problems that prevent him from participating in society in a typical way, but who has found such hope in Christ, he often reminds many of us how much God loves us and delights in us. I think of Tom, a client who stayed with us for many months and then experienced a health crisis that resulted in him being moved to a nursing facility. A number of staff members regularly visit him so he knows we are still here for him, still on his side.
It is our honor to serve these clients, to welcome them into our midst. To provide food, shelter, and most importantly hope.
Please consider partnering with us in this important work. DONATE NOW.
