News & Happenings

+ Karissa's Story

Summer 2022

Noah, our neighbor, saw her sleeping on the ground on the sidewalk next to a gas station in our neighborhood. It was the Saturday before Palm Sunday and the forecast called for below freezing temperatures and possible sleet. He reached down and tapped her on the shoulder, "Are you okay?" She told him that she had been at the casino and that the guy she was with left her stranded with only the clothes on her back.

Immediately, Noah insisted that she could not spend the night there. Pleading with her, he convinced her to come with him, offering her refuge from the cold and a sofa to sleep on. He went on to tell her of the pastors who lived next door who might be able to find her a place to stay. He told her that she should go to their church the next morning. She replied that not only did she not have the appropriate clothing, she was in no condition to enter a church. Noah quickly explained, "I don't think you understand. The church meets in their house. They have great food and really good coffee." In spite of her reservations, she came!

As with every Sunday morning, we began by eating together. To be clear, it's not "we eat and then church begins," the meal is as essential to living like Jesus as is discussing the Bible. Read the Gospels and make note of how often Jesus is going to, coming from or eating at a meal. So much so, that religious leaders of the day called Jesus a "glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." It was at the table, all these "wrong" people encountered Jesus. It was at our table, Karissa felt the presence of the Jesus she knew as a youth. It was at the table, she was welcomed into a family.

After a delicious breakfast of egg bites, bagels, cream cheese, fruit, whipped cream, and great coffee, we discussed a passage from the Gospel of Matthew. Our discussions are based around four simple questions: 1) What does this passage teach you about God? 2) What does this passage tell you about yourself? 3) If this is true, what's one thing you are feeling led to do in the coming week? 4) Who is someone who would benefit from what we've learned today? As the third question was asked, "What are you going to do?" tears began to flow from Karissa. With her voice trembling, she said, "I'm feeling led to get into recovery." The next morning, Tamera drove her to the LIT Movement (Living In Testimony). After several weeks in detox, she moved into The Jordan House, a sober-living home.

Over the course of the next few weeks, we learned Karissa's story. She is from a small town in Idaho. Having been addicted to meth for 11 years, the last time she had seen or been in touch with her family was 7 years prior. Being a meth addict, for all they knew, she was most likely dead. In addition to her parents, Karissa has an 11-year old daughter who is being raised by her younger sister, a doctor. Within a few weeks, Karissa was reunited via FaceTime with her family! Those conversations were filled with tears of joy--truly a modern day parable of the Prodigal Daughter! They longed for her return to Idaho and began dreaming almost immediately of how and when to make that happen.

Wanting to prove to herself that sobriety was the new normal, Karissa set the goal of being clean for at least 90 days before she would agree to return home. During those three months, she attended our gatherings and worship nights--even bringing guests from The Jordan House. Claiming her as our own, we celebrated each new milestone of sobriety. After 3 months of living sober, we took her to the Greyhound bus station in Cincinnati and put her on a bus for what would be a nearly 48 hour journey home.

From that first day when she entered our home, Karissa has shined brightly. Her laugh is infectious and her joy has filled every corner of our lives. We became better people because of her childlike love and wonder. She demonstrated to us that radical freedom is possible, no matter how tangled and messed up we are! Still, the greatest miracle of all is Karissa's return to the loving, compassionate and kind God of her youth.

Karissa still has a long road ahead of her. Science tells us that it can take a year to a year and a half for an addict's brain to recover fully. Nevertheless, there is great reason to hope. As of the writing of this article, Karissa is over 100 days sober and counting! From laying on a sidewalk with nothing but a hoodie to keep her warm, to being reunited with her family in Idaho, we've witnessed firsthand what Jesus is able to do through a loving, Gospel-centered family. We feel privileged to be a part of her journey. We've learned that no one is beyond hope and that freedom is always possible.

Postscript

During the time Karissa was a part of our gatherings, she invited a number of women from her sober-living home to join our community. This led to an invitation to bring breakfast to The Jordan House on Saturday mornings. We believe this is just the beginning of a vision to establish micro-churches in the midst of recovery centers. Instead of people "graduating" from a program and then having to find a church, they will have a wholistic faith community to support them from the beginning and help them through each stage toward health.