Galatians 5:13-14, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Miles, a 2024 graduate of the Addiction Healing Center, shares his story of how serving others has assisted him in his recovery journey and brings him strength in his sobriety.
Miles’ story:
I didn’t do much volunteer service before I became a client of the Westminster Rescue Mission, but now volunteering in the nearby community has become an intricate part of my renewed life. While partaking in the services of the Mission’s Addiction Healing Center I was granted a great opportunity to serve in their Mission Food Program. The program serves many communities and partners throughout Carroll County. It became an outlet for me to show gratitude for my addiction recovery by helping individuals and families in need.
One of my happiest moments while serving in the Mission Food Program occurred while fulfilling an emergency food order. An order is just like it sounds – someone has a legitimate emergency causing lack of food. I remember one family – a mother of three – I was told that they could only take microwavable food, so no eggs, no raw meat. They were displaced from their home due to some electric-related event and staying somewhere without a stove. While I was searching for stuff to put in their food box, I saw a little container that cooks omelets shaped perfectly in the microwave and so I thought I’d surprise them with eggs and this omelet device. I also came across a family set of baseball type caps that said “Best Mom,” “Best Daughter,” etc., enough for the whole family. I just remember the look on the mom’s face and how happy she was to have a little something extra to feel closer to normalcy and to take the kids’ minds off the emergency. It felt good to help someone and show God I was grateful for providing everything I needed through the Rescue Mission.
The Mission Food Pantry staff really inspires me. They go the extra mile to help our partners with orders. One day a staff member said, “We’re doing God’s work, Miles.” And I thought, “You know what? You’re right. That’s a good way to put it.” Another said, “It’s all about making connections, Miles.” I made a very important connection with one of the Missions partners and neighbors at the Deeds of Faith Food Pantry of Crosswinds Church. I started volunteering at Deeds of Faith while I was a client of the Mission. I helped them when they picked up their food orders for their giveaways. They told me they could use some help for their distributions. Knowing they had true spirits of giving from our interactions, I was more than happy to. I was at the part of the Addiction Healing Program where you get to pick a place where you wanted to do some volunteering, and it just seemed like the natural choice.
Part of recovery is building a sober community and connections. A lot of people that are involved at Deeds of Faith are also people I know from Bible study, so I already had that connection. It is refreshing being around people who are there to serve for the right reasons. You know anyone that’s volunteering there is there because they want to be.
Helping people has a certain reverence to it, when you’re not doing it for fame or to check off some box. I help others because I know the great feeling of getting help when you thought all hope was lost; you never know when you’ll be someone’s last stop before giving up.
—Miles
P.S. I owe my giving heart to my mother, who would insist on getting the names of my classmates in grade school so I could get valentines for them all.