「我必用清水灑 在你們身上， 你們就潔淨了。我要潔淨你們，使你們脫離一切的污穢，棄 掉一切的偶像。我也要賜給你們一個新心，將新靈放在你們裡面，又從你們的肉體中除掉石心， 賜給你們肉心。我必將我的靈放在你們裡面，使你們順從我的律例，謹守遵行我的典章。
（以西結書 36:25-27）
學員 Walter 見證
I come from a scholarly family, with both parents having completed college. I attended a prestigious and competitive high school program, which required testing to enroll in. Furthermore, I was accepted into Carnegie Mellon University’s computer science school, one of the very best in the world. I started using drugs in high school, but at the time it was just marijuana and only a handful of times. However, after high school graduation, starting summer of 2013, it became a daily habit. Even worse, it eventually evolved into using multiple harder drugs. My drug habit lasted about seven years, and it’s negatively affected my performance in college. I was able to skim past the first three years with a minimal passing GPA, but when it came to my senior year, I’ve tried and failed twice at completing it. I had delayed all the final and rigorous courses to my senior year. Coupled with heavy drug usage and video game addiction, I found myself giving up in school more and more easily. I pretty much grew up playing a lot of video games, but it didn’t become a harmful addiction until it was combined with drug use. Miraculously, I did quit video games on my own, back in January 2020. But my drug addiction needed help.
My mother had found and first contacted Operation Dawn back around December 2018, but of course I didn’t want to go back then. Between then and now I had attempted and failed by senior year twice. I had even been reported to the police by my dad, jailed for a night, and charged with drug possession, but luckily the court case was dropped and expunged. The turning point was in August 2020, when I ran out of money for rent and went homeless for a few days. I knew I had to quit drugs or else my life might fall to a point beyond recovery. A few days later, I checked into Operation Dawn.
When I first came to Operation Dawn, I only expected to develop healthy habits and routines. I was an atheist, arrogantly thought that science disproved any possibility of a God, and had no intention of becoming a Christian. But over the first few months at the center, I read a lot of books and apologetics on Christianity. Slowly but surely, Christianity made more and more sense. For example, I initially thought that resurrection from the dead was impossible, especially in the scientific worldview of today. But I have since then learned that the historical evidence for the death and resurrection of a man known as Jesus Christ is too compelling to deny. Three months into Operation Dawn, I finally became a believer.
In addition to learning healthy habits, I have also found a greater purpose and meaning in life, all thanks to Christianity. We were all created by God, for the overall purpose of worshipping him. Whatever we do, we should do it in the glory of God. Although the Bible doesn’t reference addiction or drugs directly, it does frequently denounce sins such as idolatry, deception, and pride. I realize that drug addiction is very closely related to these sins, and this has helped me heal better. Before Christianity, all I thought about was chasing the next high and achieving only short term pleasures. After Christianity, I can now see and focus on the longer term purposes of life. This is especially true after learning that while our physical bodies are temporal, our inner souls stay eternal.
After I graduate from Operation Dawn, I plan to return to college and finish up my last year. After that, I plan to find a software engineering job and settle down somewhere and eventually raise my own family. I believe this will be possible since I now have a clear goal in life, and always I have God by my side.
代禱事項：
- 請繼續為美國疫情代禱。美國進入冬天季節感染新冠病毒人數遽增，一天新增人數感染多達20萬人，求神賜下智慧給政府來應對疫情的發展，也希望疫苗的發展能解決新冠病毒的感染。
- 請為 Brian 在 1 月 4 日完成晨曦會治療過程之後的未來方向代禱。他目前仍然在晨曦中心裡面學習，另一方面也在找尋適合他的工作，若弟兄姐妹有知道這方面的領域 (運動防護、籃球和輪椅籃球教練) 可以聯絡我們。
- 請為家屬團契在2月27 日AM 10：00聚會代禱。求神使用家屬團契來鼓勵和安慰家屬們。若弟兄姐妹家人有上癮的成員、也歡迎您們來參加我們家屬團契。請聯絡Peggy姐妹：[email protected]
- 中途之家project正在進行中。我們已經購買了 manufacture home。為一切設計和建造septic tank、地基以及申請執照過程能順利進行。整個工程估價大約 $200,000.00 – $220,000.00左右，請代禱。
美國晨曦之家全體同工敬上 2021 年2月