Reflecting back on the early days of SAVE Georgia when God planted the desire to start this ministry in my heart, I had two dreams—to be able to support multiple local Christian ministries in the country of Georgia, and to see our Heavenly Father transforming lives through evangelism. Now, with much joy, I would like to introduce you to the second ministry that SAVE Georgia will be supporting—New Life, a rehabilitation center located on the west side of Georgia in the small town of Kobuleti.
New Life is comprised of a rehabilitation ministry and a local church that have joined efforts to pour love into the lives of those rejected by their families and by society, due to their drug and alcohol addictions. At the rehabilitation center, New Life ministers God’s love and grace to the desperate and broken hearted, while boldly proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior who is able to transform hearts, minds and lifestyles.
People who have been set free from the chains that bound them, tend to fall wholeheartedly in love with their Savior, and to live a life of passion for Christ. Their testimonies have a huge influence on unbelievers in the local community, providing living examples of God’s love, mercy and grace.
Support of New Life will be carried out under the direction of my dear friend, Ana Ferrell. God introduced me to Ana almost two years ago when I first began working on Superbook, and was desperately and unsuccessfully searching for a local pastor to review the translation. I turned to Google in hopes of finding an American church with ties to Georgian ministries and pastors, and that is how I found Ana.
Ana lives in Texas, but is originally from the country of Georgia. She has a Master’s in Counseling, and in her current job, she provides counseling to those struggling with alcohol and drug abuse. Ana brings with her a wealth of knowledge gained from her career experience, but her understanding of Georgian culture is what will be key to this ministry.
In Ana’s words, performing this type of work in the Republic of Georgia can be challenging, due to the stigma associated with drug addiction. Though alcoholism and drug abuse are both epidemic, they are perceived differently by the culture. Since Georgia is a winemaking country, Georgians take pride in this tradition, and even though their consumption of wine may be excessive, alcoholism is not viewed as a problem. On the other hand, drug addiction is considered unacceptable, and is condemned and severely judged. This double standard results from lack of understanding of the damaging effects any kind of substance abuse has on a person’s spirit, mind and body. Therefore, along with providing rehabilitation services for addicts, we also want to educate them, their family members, and the public in general.
We are very excited to witness God at work through New Life’s ministry aimed at breaking the strongholds of addiction, healing families, and restoring dignity to those who have been shunned. May everything we do glorify our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Ana Ferrell from Texas (born in the country in Georgia) Ana will be leading the efforts in support of New Life Ministry in Kobuleti.
New Life Ministry team from Kobuleti. Click here to find out more.