“Inpatient rehab typically spans from 30 days to several months. The average length of stay in a rehab facility tends to be around 90 days, which allows individuals to immerse themselves fully in the recovery process, away from the triggers and stresses of their daily environments.” This is a quote from the Southern California Recovery Centers website on their programs for substance abuse rehabilitation.

On my trip in Kazakhstan, I was confronted with a completely different view of rehab. The Bible Mission hope center Koshevnik Church in Taraz is tackling the problems they see in their community. 

The Koshevnik Church began as a family taking steps to follow Christ. The individual members in the family struggled with addiction until they found the Lord. Between 80 and 100 people attend the church every week in Taraz. The church is located in a tough part of the Kazakh city, and as we drove in we saw people sitting on the streets drinking. We went into a gas station in Taraz, and there was more vodka than any of the other drinks combined (I’m not kidding).

The homeless and poor populations of Taraz have been attracted to the Koshevnik Church, many of which were addicts. They had nowhere to go, so the church rented a tent for 15 people and put it in their garden. They added bunk beds and filled up the top capacity. As the cold winter came, they were taken into the house church and allowed to live there.

Soon an opportunity came to purchase another old house in Taraz, and the Lord gave the Koshevnik Church a vision for how to use it. They turned it into a rehab center for men, renovating the house and adding a banja. A man named Vitaly joined the church at that time, having worked at a rehab center for 15 years. He has taken the lead on this part of their ministry.

Vitaly said, “I prayed for ministry, and God led me here. The people here were praying for a minister.” Rehab is a step that’s very close to Vitaly’s heart, he was a drug addict from age 16 and he’s been in jail multiple times. 

Vitaly started a rehab program called Teen Challenge at age 50, and after 34 years in addiction, he is now 16 years sober. In rehab he began to read the bible, and God gave him a call to help the people stuck in addiction. After finishing the program he remained with Teen Challenge helping and encouraging new people to the program.

“I see the will of God in every step of my life,” Vitaly exclaimed!

We went to the rehab house and got to see firsthand the ministry of recovery. What stood out the most to me was the gravity that they put on addiction and taking the time to recover the right way. Their program for rehabilitation takes a minimum of 1 year, Vitaly said it’s better if people take more than that amount of time.

The goal of the rehab center is to allow minimum connection to the outside world and the temptations that come with it. The fences in the courtyard are high, making it really hard to see the street outside.

An early major step in drug or alcohol recovery is going through detoxification, which sometimes can take up to a month. The body is being cleaned out of the substances while the addict abstains. Withdrawal symptoms can be incredibly intense, creating serious health risks and mental health problems for this vulnerable period. 

The detox process only begins to deal with the physical part of addiction, and usually isn’t enough for a full recovery. The temptation to relapse is still there, and according to Vitaly it takes this full year for the brain to be able to replace these desires psychologically. The people in the treatment center are given a rigorous schedule of jobs, projects, bible readings and cooking to take up time and create good habits.

I didn’t intend to call out the Southern California Recovery Centers in my open, but many American rehabilitation programs I’ve seen do not have the same amount of time devoted to recovery. This isn’t one size fits all, but in Kazakhstan I was stunned thinking back to what happens with drug use in the United States. I am no stranger to drug addicts, especially in Colorado, where I’m from.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the relapse rate for substance abuse ranges from 40-60 percent in the United States after rehab. 

Families support those in the rehab center financially. Vitaly said, “80 percent of all successful rehab is connected to supporting relatives.” There’s a danger of someone coming out of rehab and their family either abandoning them or leading them back into addiction. With their involvement in the program, families buy-in to the recovery process.

We met the three men in the rehab center right now, each at a different stage in their rehab journey. Two men were older and had recently completed detox, they looked like the weight of the world was on their shoulders. I noticed the pain in their eyes. They are taking steps to break the cycle of pain in their lives, but you can see the crushing burden addiction has become for them.

The third man was nearing the end of his time in the rehab center, his name was Ibek. He had just finished leading the other 2 men in their morning bible study when we dropped by. You could see scars on his arm and tattoos, but also a smiling joyful face. 

Ibek has found the Lord in his time in rehab, and now is approaching the completion of his time. He has been given a similar mission to Vitaly, he plans to stay longer after his time is complete to continue mentoring and helping the other men who have come through. 

He was filled with life and joy, a picture of what the Lord can do even in the trap that is addiction. Ibek is 26, and he has thoughts of being a pastor some day. This is what the Lord can do even when we as humans fall into the grips of addiction.

The Lord has a plan for healing and recovery in Kazakhstan. Koshevnik Church is a Bible Mission Hope Center so we support them as they do the ministry on the ground. You can read more about the ministry happening in Taraz through this incredible family church in last week's article.

Vitaly explained to us that the church’s vision for the rehab program includes 2 houses that can fit 30 people each. They also would like to be able to have a separate space for those in detox so they don’t discourage those who have already moved beyond this part of the rehab.

If you would like to help the Koshevnik Church you can connect with us right here at biblemissionglobal.org.  Praise the Lord for his mercy and redemption that he offers us through Jesus Christ!          

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Romans 6:16

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

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