Clean House
Ten years ago, as a mom of a 19, 14, and 12-year-old, Kim was working from home taking phone calls for their family business. "I had to stop," she shared. Clients were complaining to her husband that she was drunk on the phone. “Please do not let Kim call me," they would say. There is a plumbing company in town that to this day, will not do work on Kim’s home because of how she treated them.
It got to the point that Kim tried to kill herself with pills and alcohol. To her surprise, she woke up the next day. God had a different plan for her.
The first time Kim walked into an AA meeting at Emmanuel 10 years ago she felt like she was home. “Emmanuel Lutheran saved my life. I immediately felt God’s presence," she shared.
A man walked over to her and lifted her chin up and said, “You got this. You can do this. Keep coming back." Meryl was his name, and his motto was “clean house." What he meant was to clean yourself up, trust God, and help others. Meryl was sober for 50 years.
Kim joined the Common Solutions Program (AA) at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, and it saved her family. Peace and serenity were missing in Kim’s life. She surrendered when she joined AA and learned to tell the truth. Now, she can look someone in the eye.
Kim is most thankful for the men and women who attend the weekly meetings along with her. They have taught her how to live a spiritually sober life. She has her husband and children because of that. Her family has been healed and they have their wife and mother back. "They trust me again," she shared.
The AA ministry happens each week in Emmanuel’s Community Room. "It is a place where you feel welcomed, understood, and safe," said Kim. God showed Kim that his will for her was to “clean house, trust God, and help others." Kim never forgets this.
Kim shared, "Just last Saturday, a woman came to the meeting and received her 10-year chip." She drove down from SC which is where she lives today because she said, “Emmanuel is where she got sober."
The welcoming spirit of Emmanuel and the generosity of the community make it possible for AA to continue to meet each week and serve those like Kim in need of rebuilding trust and relationships. Thank you to all those who help make this vital ministry possible for the community.