Eight people who were once addicted to drugs have a message of hope for those who believe they are trapped in that lifestyle.
They will share their stories during a Recovery Rally, which will take place Sept. 30 at St. Benedict’s Parish Hall from 4 to 6 p.m.
The event is being sponsored by Ripley County Resource Ministries and will also feature live music, child care and a free chili supper.
Special speakers Kali Dawes, Zachary Taylor, Jason Orr, Carlton Sherrill, Kevin Young, Bruce Burns, William Beckett, and Astasia Williams do not necessarily have similar backgrounds, but they do have one thing in common: there was a time when drug use had taken over their lives.
Kali Dawes
Kali Dawes, a clinical therapist at FCC Behavioral Health works in the Recovery Support Services Program.
“I spent 20 years of my life bound by an addiction to drugs. I suffered with depression and thoughts of suicide.
In 2014, God set me free from addiction and gave me the opportunity to start a brand new life! I was finally able to be a mother to my precious daughter and I went on to start a ladies jail ministry which eventually led me to pursue a Master’s Degree of Social Work. I am now a licensed master social worker (LMSW) employed in a position I love by assisting others in the recovery process.
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor, who is now 27, says he had dealt with depression and feelings of being “different” since he was six years old.
“Addictions, alcoholism and many sinful lifestyles became my ‘normal’ because that was the only way to numb my actual feelings. But when I allowed God to have complete control, the bad thoughts were erased, my life as a whole began to improve and I learned to lean on HIM when times got tough.
One of the things that had labeled Taylor as being “different” was that he was a cheerleader.
“I am now the cheerleading coach at the same high school I once cheered for, my marriage is stronger than it ever has been and I live each day with a grateful heart,”he says.
Jason Orr
Jason Orr started using alcohol and marijuana at age 10.
“My dad was a weed dealer and I kind of fell into the business, by the time I was 14. I knew how to cook meth, I ran with rough crowds, and held wild parties all the time.
He lost his daughter in 2014.
“The only way I knew how to cope was to step up my drug use.”
He began injecting methamphetamine, and “cocktailed” it with other strong drugs.
“I lived in a camper with no lights or water for a long minute... but getting caught gave me a minute to find God.
As of Oct. 30, he says, “I will be five years clean from methamphetamine and other drugs. God is the reason I am here today, and I am finally figuring out who I am supposed to be. He gets all the credit and glory for the turnaround in my life. I still struggle living life on life’s terms, but He walks with me through it all.”
Carlton Sherrill
Carlton Sherrill, 46, has been clean for six years. “I was addicted to meth, crack, cocaine, painkillers, and alcohol. You name it and I was controlled by it!
I attempted suicide and the bullet lodged in the chamber. I burnt every relationship I had and every bridge I crossed.
But God changed all of that in a short period of time. He restored all of my relationships and gave me a purpose in ministry.”
He is a licensed Pentecostal preacher for the UPCI, as well as founder/CEO of Help On Hand, Inc. non-profit which provides help for the homeless.
Kevin Young
Kevin Young, 46, says “I have struggled with addiction my entire adult life and been to prison five times.”
He recalls, “I overdosed on Fentanyl on March 31, 2022, and didn’t breathe for over 10 minutes. First responders had done all they could do, but then Jesus stepped in.
God allowed me to live because He has a purpose for me. I have given my life to Jesus and everything that comes along with it. I believe my purpose is to help addicts. I have been called to preach and am currently a group leader at West Point Church’s Celebrate Recovery on Sunday nights. Everything I have today...freedom from addiction and great relationships with my family and friends...I owe to Jesus Christ, the author of it all.
Bruce Burns
Bruce Burns says he was raised in a very dys-functional family, full of abuse.
“I began medicating my problems at a very early age and it just progressed from there. I’ve been in and out of rehabs and mental hospitals since I was in my teens,” says Burns.
From age 20 to his 40s, he was addicted to methamphetamine.
“I was homeless for a very long time and had lost everything, more times than I can count.
“I met Jesus in the darkest moments of my life. Now I’m born again and set free from my hurts, habits, traumas, hang-ups, and addictions,” says Burns, who is celebrating four years of sobriety.
Today he is a group facilitator of Restart Recovery at Dexter First Pentecostal Church in Dexter, Mo.
William Beckett
William Beckett began using drugs when he was 9 years old.
“I was cooking meth by the time I was 17,” he says.
That was when he first put a needle in his arm, he says.
“In 2018, I tried to commit suicide, and the rope broke. The Lord began to do a work in me. I began to read his word and started preaching I’m now married with seven children and involved in Word of Life Ministries.
Astasia Williams
Astasia Williams, a 2018 graduate of Recycling Grace woman’s center, began using cocaine at 17.
“I later went to using meth and was addicted for over 13 years. I lost everything because of my addiction, including custody of all five of my children in a drug bust in December of 2017,” she says.
Williams went to Recycling Grace Women’s Center the following August, where she says she “gave my life to God. I have been living for him ever since. Within four months of graduating RG I regained full custody of my children. I recently celebrated five years of freedom from my addiction and I now work for Recycling Grace. I am able to give back to the ministry that changed my life.”