‘Miracle’ takes addict home again

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — There is an old saying: “You can’t go home again,” but if Diego Salazar ever heard it, he certainly didn’t believe it. Even after he was thrown out of his house by his father, he kept sneaking back, only to be thrown out again.

n It’s a tight squeeze, but some of the men at the Alas Hacia la Libertad en Cristo rehabilitation centre, share one of the bedrooms in the house that has become a haven. Taking a moment’s rest are Robinson Triana (top) and from left to right Jorge Rodriguez, Director Diego Salazar (with daughter Anna Maria on his knee), José Antonio Veloza, and the Rev Manuel Blackmouith. Bogotá, Colombia. Photo: UBS/Larry Jerden (COL01DJ-116)

But through a miracle, Mr Salazar is now back in his parents’ house as director of Alas Hacia la Libertad en Cristo (‘Wings Towards Freedom in Christ’), a rehabilitation centre for drug and alcohol abusers.

Mr Salazar says both his own victory over drugs and the ministry he now leads are miracles. “Two years after my mother died, my father got married again and I was kicked out. After that, I was into drugs. But I kept sneaking back into the house.

‘A call on my life’

“Even after I had been in jail, I would sneak back and sleep in the garden. My brother was here, but I was not allowed into the house.”

Finally, he went to a rehabilitation centre. “I came to understand that God had placed a call on my life,” he says. “He called me to work with drug addicts. From that moment I have been serving God through this ministry.”

Mr Salazar says not only was the way God changed his life a miracle, so was the way in which he was able to turn his childhood home into a place where others could find new life. When his father died, ownership was divided equally among the eight brothers. Then there was a struggle with an outsider who wanted to buy it.

“God gave me the words to say and I was able to get the house for my oldest brother.” His brother asked him to move in and take care of it. That was seven years ago.

“When I told my brother I was going to open a rehabilitation centre here, he said I was crazy,” Mr Salazar recalls. “I told him, ‘My work is valuable, and you will never have any trouble with me’.”

Perhaps the greatest miracle is what is happening inside the house, where men live a disciplined life that includes regular prayer and Bible study.
“We want to give men a new style of life, to rebuild their values based on God’s values,” Mr Salazar explains. To do this, the program includes daily Bible study, devotions, morning and afternoon Bible classes and more devotions at night. They also use the Faith Comes By Hearing audio material.

One man who has benefited is Jorge Rodriguez. “We really feel good here,” he says. “I was a drug addict and lost everything. My pastor and my mother convinced me to come here.”

Like the other residents, he has been helped by the relationship between Alas Hacia la Libertad en Cristo and the Bible Society.

“We have a good friendship with the Bible Society,” Mr Salazar says. “We feel we will continue to be blessed and will bless others through this relationship. We want to take advantage of the excellent materials we are receiving.”

Mr Salazar says that Scripture Selections on violence, fear, society and other topics have been especially valuable, as have New Testaments, Portions and other Selections.

“People from the neighbourhood also attend our Bible studies,” he points out. “ On Wednesday morning the women come. On Friday they bring their babies. They have a real love for this ministry — many have family members who are affected by drugs.”

In fact, contact with families often precedes contact with the addicts themselves.

“The first relationship we have with many of the men comes through members of their families,” Mr Salazar explains, “because they are often the first ones to be affected.”

To help the families, the ministry makes special use of Bible Society children’s materials. “There are many people who have children they want to reach,” Mr Salazar notes. “We want them to be able to give them the materials to do it. We are especially excited about the new materials from the David video.