Artie at Dunklin

Just to get all the people in the right places, Artie is at Dunklin in Okeechobee, Florida.  He's went in August and has about 17 weeks left til his graduation.  I'm not going to go into all the details here, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask.  He should be back home in May.


I was blessed to go down during October for a weekend visit on our anniversary  We had a wonderful visit.  This is the first time we've ever been apart for more than a week!

Troy at ETC

My guest post ended up taking six months instead of two weeks, but here it is...

This is Troy, mom's second oldest son. I'm currently at Evans Training Center and have been for the last 21 months. When I was fifteen I tried my first cigarette and from there it was less than six months before I was smoking pot. I knew no limits and there was no line I was unwilling to cross. This lasted all the was through my high school career.  When I got to the end of my 12th grade year I still had 3 classes I needed to finish in the summer; but I was way to involved with my fantasy world with my buddies, smoking pot and drinking that school was never something I pursued. Two months after my 19th birthday I found myself in such a lowly place I saw no hope or chance of freedom. One night after a argument with my father I decided I was done with my family and life as I knew it. I, in anger and teenage stupidity, decided I would be better off under a bridge than in the home with my loving family. While I was packing my bags through tears and rage mom ask me if I would like to call Benji. She told me he had a place for guys like me. I called and talked to him for a few minutes and before I got off he told me to call him back the next morning at ten. This went on for three or four days. then on a rainy Monday night mom drove me out t this little house set back in the woods. During my intake interview Ben told me that the little brat that back talked his mom and disrespected his dad would show up. I was sure I could keep up a good face and fool everyone into thinking I was a good'ole boy. It wasn't long before I showed my tail and got truth spoke to me. My program seemed to take forever.  All the way through I knew God was telling me to stay on for Servant Leadership Training (SLT), so after graduating on July 15, 2012 I sighed up for another year. I love where I am. Its still not easy but having God's favor on my life comes by obedience to His word and His word is stay. I came broken and in pieces. God's had me in a pressure cooker for the last two years and he has healed so much in my life.  Now I can help other young men come out of the same bondage that held me for so long. In Ben's words "We are more than conquerors, taking what the enemy used to keep us down and using it to bring glory to our Father."

a Quinn at ETC

Well, I've introduced you to Katy, Hunter, Dunklin and ETC... but I haven't quite told you how ETC fits into our lives. 

I think I'm gonna let Troy write this post in his own words.  Stay tuned for a guest post...  :-)


Updated... I talked to Troy and he is going to write this post for me.  It will probably be two weeks before it gets up.  He is leaving as a chaperon for the Youth's Texas trip Sunday morning and will be gone for a week. 

ETC

 

Evans Training center is a Christian discipleship program, right here in the upstate, for men coming out of addictions. The center believes that “the Christian approach to alcohol and drug addiction produces the most effective and enduring results”.

 

Ben Dismukes is a living testimonies that this core belief holds true. Not only does he run the center but he has overcome addictions in his own personal life. 

Ben Dismukes, now clean for eight years, shares his story and his desire to help others find the same freedom. He refers to himself as a “blessed man.” He is thankful for what the Lord has done in his life and he wants to give back.

The vision for the center was birthed many years ago in the hearts of Robby and Vida Dismukes, Ben’s parents. They were greatly impacted by a program at Dunklin, in South Florida, where their son was receiving help at the time. The regular trips to visit their son had become tiresome. They questioned why their own city did not have a place where they could find help. The Dunklin center clearly made a strong impression on these parents. What they experienced there was a wonderful atmosphere that embraced and ministered to the whole family. They desired to see this kind of program here in their own city. Robby Dismukes is President of the Evans Training Center.
Evans Training Center is modeled after Dunklin. At Evans, the same kind of environment concerned with the healing and restoration of the family is a priority. Counselors work with the wives of men in the program who are willing to press through the pain.

Evans Training Center is an eight month, in residence program. The program addresses the spiritual, mental and physical issues involved with addictions. The men are working through issues and dealing with all areas of life. They are taking ownership and responsibility. They are making amends. They are forgiving themselves and other people. Before they leave the program there is not anything that they haven’t dealt with in their lives. When they leave they are without excuse. They are no longer victims of circumstance. They have healed hearts and a fresh start.

In addition to discipleship and counseling, the men are assigned to a daily work program. Sundays are days when families are encouraged to come and spend the day. The staff is a big part of this family time, bringing their own families, cooking together, eating together and worshipping together. They are truly living examples and role models to the men in this program.

Evans Training Center is located at Restoration Church in Spartanburg, SC. They can be contacted at (864) 506-5652 or info@evanstrainingcenter.org Read more about their mission and program at www.evanstrainingcenter.org and be sure to check out their facebook page.



(material taken from the examiner.com)

ETC's Beginning

Yesterday I began to introduce you to ETC.  Then I realized that I couldn't tell you about ETC without telling you about Dunklin. 

 

Now I guess you're wondering how Dunklin moves into ETC. 

 

This is the most simpled down post I've ever written..... 

 

 

A long time ago when Artie was a youth pastor, we had a young man in our youth group.  He and his family were very special to us.  We loved him like one of our own sons. 

 

As he grew up he grew away from God, his family, his church.  He became involved in drugs and they nearly took his life.  He sacrificed everything he had for them. 

 

When he was at his lowest and his family had prayed for God to save him, they found a place in Florida called Dunklin that helped men in his situation. 

 

He went to Dunklin and found the forgiving goodness of God. 

 

Fast forward a couple of years. 

 

The young man moved through the programs at Dunklin.  He married a wonderful girl who had also been in our youth group and we loved as well.  He and his family were so excited about what was happening at Dunklin, they wanted the same thing for the men in this area.

 

ETC was born...

 

 

ETC - Dunklin's Beginning

ETC

Evans Training Center


Guess ETC begins with Dunklin

"Dunklin Memorial Church was founded by Mickey and Laura Maye Evans in 1962 in a wilderness area of Martin County for the purpose of building a “city” for the spiritual, emotional, and physical regeneration of alcoholics and drug addicts."

Men started coming to Dunklin and found more than sobriety, they found a "permanent, lasting relationship with God. They were no longer considered “the problem,” but now a solution to that problem."

They saw that the families of these men needed healing too.  They reached out through "groups and Biblical counseling sessions every weekend. Each member of the family receives guidance and spiritual instruction in the rebuilding of family life."

Dunklin has grown into a thriving church body and ministry training center.  The model is being replicated all over the world. 

 

"Foundations

• Dunklin recognizes Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of the ministry.
• Dunklin provides a healthy environment, biblical instruction, and work opportunities for men trapped in the bondage of chemical addiction.
• Dunklin pursues family restoration and strives to equip each member to have a personal relationship with the Lord."