Mission 25’s Recovery Engagement Center helps us show love together

It’s been said that if you “do what you love,” you will “never work a day in your life.” Don’t get me wrong—I admit that it can feel like work every Monday through Friday. Some days are just plain exhausting when working in the recovery sector of social services. However, here is my absolute truth: I love the job I get to do every day. My passion for helping people rebuild their lives on their recovery journey is what fills my proverbial cup.

Working with Individuals in Recovery

People often ask me if it’s hard to work with “people like that.” It’s not usually intended to be an offensive, or marginalizing question. What I think they mean by asking me this, is “people who have come from hard places who are working to improve their lives.” The Mission 25 Recovery Engagement Center (REC) is truly the place for that healing work to happen.

I know people in recovery who consistently attend our 9:30 a.m. Monday morning journaling group, despite having worked the night shift, all for their own accountability and health.

I know people in recovery who have quit their life’s dependency on an extremely powerful synthetic drug, all so their child can come back home to live with them, entirely changing the trajectory of both their lives.

I know people in recovery who have completed all 4 levels of Mission 25’s Resident Program, moving into their own home through our Supportive Housing service line, and remain engaged within our recovery programming.

I know people who never, for one second, forget that Mission 25, and the REC, is their safe space during their recovery journey.

“Those people” fill my work calendar with meaningful meetings, appointments, sessions, groups, and plain-old chats over coffee. They make my job so much more than just a job.

What does the REC do?

This beautiful space, a sanctuary of hope and worship, modified to be a sanctuary of hope and healing, holds an important role in our community. The REC does the meaningful work of giving individuals and families a safe space. This space, full of support and accountability, helps people who are struggling with trauma and addiction. Community and compassion are what bring people in recovery back to this building.

The REC brings different pathways of recovery to Whitley County and Northeast Indiana. Each pathway is enriched with a schedule of recovery groups, bringing people together and meeting them where they are. And it’s no secret that all of these groups share one thing in common: people in recovery.

Those who attend our recovery groups and events can be fighting the same battles or climbing the same mountains as those sitting to the right of them. And each of those individuals understand and empathize with each other through those shared experiences—where paths of addiction set them back and paths of recovery lead them forward.

In all of recovery’s highs and lows, people know that peer support is available here at the REC. Whether in the beginning chapters or personal maintenance stage, we believe that community and connection are roots within the recovery journey.

My “Why”

“Giving individuals a positive, naturally lighted, plant-filled space to build a whole new, healthy community is ‘my why.’”

I, along with the entire Mission 25 team, value the shared experiences hosted within these walls. The promoted empathy and kindness work together to reduce shame and stigma.

Within These Walls

Within these walls, families undergo restoration. Strangers become comfortable with being vulnerable. Stories of personal journeys spark genuine inspiration. Friends find extreme joy and happiness. Individuals come together to help, support, love, and uplift one another until they each find their way out of the darkness. And despite some beliefs that those feelings wouldn’t be possible again, the REC proves them to be possible.

Mission 25’s work floods our community with hope. And the REC nurtures that hope with strong, healthy, sustainable connections beyond its walls.

Your support directly impacts the outcomes of our Recovery Engagement Center.

Click here to make a donation toward Mission 25’s Recovery Engagement Center.