8/27/17: An Unbelievably True Story of Restoration!!!
God is so good.
First of all, let me share briefly how Mike* got into detox, and then I’ll tell you about where he is now.
For about a month, my wife Nikki, Ian and Darian have been picking Mike up every Sunday morning from the street he sleeps on in Oakland, and bringing him to our church in Moraga. It’s been awesome.
The Sunday before his detox journey started, we were all sharing out loud the things we were grateful to God for. Mike raised his hand, and through tears said, “I’m grateful to God for giving me a new family.”
What a privilege to be used by God in his life!
Nikki and I took him back after church, and it was then that the subject of rehab came back up, and we told him whenever he was ready, we’d be there for him.
He said he was ready now. Well, he’d be ready tomorrow
It’s so vital to take a second and realize how this came to be. We’d been serving Mike for months on the street, never pressuring but always offering help beyond just the food and conversation and rides to and from church…and then, all of a sudden, Mike is ready to change his life for the better.
Why?
Because he knows he’s loved.
You can’t just pull up on the street, jump out and start loading people in your car to take to rehab! Discipleship is relationship over time: Mike was ready to do something incredibly difficult, because he knew he had a family that would be there to support him every step of the way.
As has been said before in different ways: people won’t listen to what you say unless they know that you really care. Let’s never forget that true love for people is what is going to affect change.
Okay, back to the story:
We called Cherry Hill Detox, made sure they had a bed for him, and they told us he needed to see a doctor and get any medication he might need while in detox. We’d been through this before with others, and it can be a real hassle: you have to go to the ER and wait to be seen multiple times by multiple nurses and doctors…it can take hours.
We prepped Mike for that and told him we’d be ready to pick him up after I got out of work, take him to Highland Hospital, get his prescriptions filled, and then finally over to Cherry Hill.
It’s an intimidating process: I know they don’t mean for it to be so tough, but it IS really tough. You either have to be motivated by a supernatural force to make it through all the hoops, or have people assisting you the whole way.
So, the next day we picked Mike up and started our journey! Got to Highland and the ER was PACKED. The only seats available were all the way across the long waiting room on the opposite side from the reception desk. We checked in, told them why we were there and what we needed. They told us they’d do what they could to “fast track” Mike so he could get to Cherry Hill as soon as possible.
We made the long trek to our seats, and as soon as we sat down, they called his name!
Got through registration super quickly and painlessly, and they said to have a seat and they’d call us back to see the nurse as soon as possible.
We made the long trek again to our seats, and yes, as soon as we sat down-like the SECOND we sat down-they called his name!
Laughing the whole way back to the nurse, Nikki and I rejoiced at how insanely smooth this was going!
Only one person could stay with Mike while meeting with the nurse, so Nikki volunteered to wait outside while I stayed with Mike to help him answer any questions he might not know the answer to.
Nikki said everyone could hear the roars of laughter coming from where we were, and wondered what was going on during his check-up!
Truth be told, God gave us the greatest nurse ever: she was caring, kind, hilarious, and completely invested in Mike’s life and story. She was blown away that we were going through this process with him: she said in her decade of experience, she’s never seen someone on their way to detox with such support. It was humbling and encouraging, and saddening all at the same time. Thinking about all those people who want to make change, but they’re alone…no one to talk to, to laugh with, to support them if they forget something, to give them a ride.
Cherry Hill has a bus that comes by the hospitals to take people to detox, but they’re incredibly strict: if you’re not outside on the curb when the bus comes, it just keeps on driving. Can you imagine being dope sick, waiting in the ER, and then running to try and catch a bus before it leaves you on the street? No wonder so few are able to get clean!
We were in and out of Highland in less than an hour, which is RIDICULOUS.
But Mike wasn’t ready yet. As we got in the car from the hospital, we could tell he was having second thoughts. No pressure, we told him, you’ve got clearance to get your meds and go to detox whenever you’re ready. Tomorrow, he told us.
We’ve also been down that road many, many times. “Tomorrow” is usually code for never on the street. But we show up no matter what, just in case they really meant “tomorrow”! I’ve stood outside apartment buildings, shook tents, drove up and down streets looking for people who said “tomorrow”, and only one before Mike actually meant it.
Thank you, Jesus, that Mike meant it!
The next day we called him, left a message, and waited to hear back: we just wanted to make sure he really wanted to go. If rehab isn’t internally motivated, it won’t stick.
Then he called! And it was kinda weird, cause he said he wanted to pass me off to a guy named “Officer Dale”…okay…So, Officer Dale got on the phone and said, is this Pastor Zach?
Yep, what’s up?
I’ve got Mike here and he says you’re picking him up and taking him to Cherry Hill?
Yes, we are: is Mike ok?
Oh yeah, he’s fine: I was gonna do something with him, but since you’re coming to take him to detox, that’s way more important.
Oh, okay, cool…Well, please tell him to stay put and we’ll be there soon!
Such a weird conversation! When we picked Mike up, he told us that sometimes police officers will come through the streets and find someone to help them train their new officers how to deal with “drunk and disorderly” individuals. We asked Mike how often this happens, and he said every once and awhile: he doesn’t really mind because after they do the training he usually gets cookies or some cash or something!
BUT this time he said No because he was going to detox. Thank you, Jesus!
Tomorrow meant tomorrow, and we were off to Cherry Hill.
The look on the faces of his neighbors and friends on the street was priceless. Tears in some eyes: many came up to him, hugged him and wished him well. I could tell that for some, they were living vicariously through Mike…wanting to do the same, but not having the strength…yet…
Still had to get his meds from Walgreens, and at rush hour, figuring it was going to be hassle. I should have known better from our experience the day before at Highland: Jesus wanted Mike to get to detox, and He was already at work paving the smooth path there.
Walgreens was easy: in and out in 15 minutes! We had the meds, we had the clearance, and we were at Cherry Hill checking him in within the hour!
Last week, we picked up Mike* from detox to take him to a Christian Rehab facility we had set-up for him…but it wasn’t what God was doing. We had prayed in church for Mike just a few days before, and we were specifically crying out to God that He would provide exactly the right place for Mike’s rehab, and the right people would be there to guide him through this important part of his life. But the place we had planned to take him to just wasn’t right. My wife felt it, Ian felt it, and Mike felt it, too.
Ok…so now what, God?
I got the call while I was at work that my wife Nikki was taking Mike back to our house and we were gonna “figure it out” when I got home!
Nikki is an unstoppable force of nature; the heartbeat of our ministry, and she is committed to seeking God’s perfect will for those we serve.
Long story, a little bit shorter: we found the perfect place for his recovery, but it was not without supernatural intervention!
In making so many calls, I finally got in touch with an angel of a man named Aaron, who took it upon himself to make phone calls on our behalf: I still haven’t met Aaron face-to-face, so in my mind he literally could be an angel!
The next day, Nikki checked Mitch in, and it was a watershed moment. You can see the joy on his face in the picture on our website: in fact, seeing the picture of Mike with some of our team a few Friday nights ago on the streets of Oakland, and then the picture of him with keys in his hand in front of his new home…there’s nothing better.
He lives with a few other men, all with the same background: they do Bible studies together, go to 12 step meetings, volunteer together, and encourage one another in their recovery. It’s amazing! Thank you, Jesus!!!
As I write this, Mike is doing incredibly well: Nikki picks him up from his house every Sunday morning and brings him to church, which has been a huge blessing for him and for the entire congregation. God is so good.
Thank you, Jesus for Your example of love and sacrifice.
Thank you for allowing us the privilege to serve Mike and our other friends and family on the streets of Oakland each week.
Thank you for the team that goes out each week, sacrificing their entire Friday (and part of Saturday morning) to be Your hands and feet. Ian, Trey, Katherine, August, Darian: brothers and sisters in Christ who are an inspiration!
Thank you for the support, both prayerful and financial, of the people who help make this ministry possible!
Thank you for going before us, making the way, providing above and beyond what we could ever dream or imagine.
Thank you for the individuals like the Nurse at Highland and Aaron the Angel, and, of course, Nikki “Momma Lasagna” for her tireless dedication to unconditional love and sacrifice for others!
Thank you for Mike: the joy he brings to everyone he meets, and the plans you have for him to accomplish with his new lease on life!