LIFE Recovery Association

And soon that one day at a time will be 365 days!

Would you look at her? Happy, healthy and living out God’s plan for her life. Congratulations Ivy, on last week’s celebration of one year sober!

Thank you Living Hope Christian Reformed Church for the invitation! We look forward to sharing how God is working through our ministry!

Thank you AbbyNews for this story. For those who can help, The Salvation Army Centre of Hope - Abbotsford , Gateway Community CRC and The 5 and 2 Ministries are good contact points. For our part, we remind you that we have space for women seeking recovery from addiction. Also, LIFE's Second Chance Thrift Store will consider donating goods on a case by case basis. To request specific items, contact [email protected] or call 604-302-8940

What a great way to start a new year! Today we celebrated our Addictions Counsellor Sharon, and her 10 years of sobriety . Thank you to all who support LIFE Recovery, where Sharon’s sober journey started Thank you Sharon for your commitment to recovery and to seeing the same for so many other women. Thinking of all you’ve accomplished in these last 10 years, we can’t wait to see what else God has in store for you!

A devotion for the last day of the year. Our present enjoyment of God’s grace tends to be lessened by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders. But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual growth for our future.

It’s heartbreaking to think that some are still living outside. We are hoping to edit this post with daytime warming center locations. If you know of any in Abbotsford, please add in comments. In the meantime, here are the overnight locations for extreme weather beds. Salvation Army (34081 Gladys Ave, 604-852-9305) from 9:30 p.m. 8:30 a.m. Lookout Society (1640 Riverside Rd, 604-744-1538) from 7 p.m. 7 a.m.... Penny’s Place/SARA for Women (604-746-3301) Connection through the Warm Zone at 33264 Old Yale Rd from 8 p.m. 8 a.m. Gateway Church (2884 Gladys Ave, 604-859-5927) from 8 p.m. 8 a.m.

Christmas isn’t over - this is just the beginning! For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Found out about this story on Yes TV today. If you are a coffee lover in Calgary and support recovery programs, consider Kingdom Coffee YYC

What do covid and Easter have in common?

We recently were approved for a LTC+ Expanded grant as part of Healthcare Excellence Canada’s COVID support. Our application identified two main areas - employee wellness and risk assessment for outbreak and surge capacity. While applying, it felt like we needed to build our case but in an information session this week, the funders shared that these were the most common challenges. Although many feel the hope of the future, COVID continues to impact our team and work on a daily basis. We are grateful for funds directed toward supporting our staff and our organization so that we can continue to do our best for our clients.

If you watched our Love for LIFE campaign video, you'll recognize this beautiful song The River by Brian Doerksen. Thank you Brian, for supporting LIFE Recovery Association by allowing us to use your song. The campaign raised over $110.000 to support women in residential recovery and we were privileged to have Brian's music included in that effort. Just reading the words tells why this song is so meaningful for our clients. To the river I am going Bringing sins I cannot bea...r Come and cleanse me, come forgive me Lord I need to meet you there In these waters, healing mercy Flows with freedom from despair I am going, to that river Lord I need to meet you there Precious Jesus, I am ready To surrender every care Take my hand now, lead me closer Lord I need to meet you there Come and join us, in the river Come find life beyond compare He is calling, He is waiting Jesus longs to meet you there

Looking for information or support for yourself or a loved one struggling with addiction or substance abuse? Alcohol & Drug Information Referral Service (ADIRS) provides free, confidential information and referral services to British Columbians in need of support with any kind of substance use issue (alcohol or other drugs). Referral to community substance use treatment services is available for all ages. Information available from ADIRS includes prevention resources, support groups, and addiction related topics such as fetal alcohol syndrome.

...it’s never too late to get sober

It’s easy to wonder while in the grip of addiction, if it’s too late to turn things around. Anthony Hopkins was 38 when he became sober. He’s done pretty well since then. #nevertoolatetochange #addictionrecovery

Did you see our newsletter? LIFE Lines went out via Canada Post on December 14th and to those on our email list December 18th. In case you missed it, you can view the full edition here: https://www.liferecoveryassociation.com/updates-newsletters If you'd prefer an email to hard copy or vice versa or would like to subscribe, please email us at [email protected] or call 604.855.4440.

As we come to the end of December, we want to acknowledge the kindness and generosity of so many who supported us over this last year. Our thrift store, recovery houses and fundraising event staff and volunteers didn't just adapt to change, they rose above the challenges to ensure that we could continue to offer recovery programs and services. We were blessed beyond anything we could imagine as individuals, businesses, churches and partner agencies donated funds, services a...nd products - from masks to mini-vans! We received covid-relief funding and grants. Thousands of volunteer hours were given at the store and with programs at the recovery houses. Clients celebrated a sober Chistmas with gifts from the community and a turkey dinner with staff who worked through the holidays. It wasn't all easy but through it all we felt supported. We saw faithfulness. We heard encouragement. We witnessed blessing. We were awed and we were humbled. Thank you, thank you, thank you. We didn't just survive 2020, we thrived!

"By putting people first and using language that is about the medical nature of a substance use disorder as opposed to a moral failing, we can help to reduce overdose and to promote recovery." #overdoseawareness #recovery #reducethestigma

FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY ~ How your can support us! Express Return-It (Bottle Drive- Ongoing) How it works:... 1. Place your empty beverage containers into a blue or transparent bag ( limit of 6 bags/drop off) 2. Visit one of the following Return-It Express Kiosks ~Abbotsford Bottle Depot- 33236 Walsh Ave Abbotsford, BC ~R&T Recyclables- Unit 23 31550 S. Fraser Way Abbotsford BC ~Aberdeen Recycle-28789 Fraser Highway Abbotsford BC ~Moe’s Bottle 2625 Gladys Ave Abbotsford BC ~Agassiz Bottle Depot 7659 Industrial Way Agassiz, BC ~Aldergrove Return-It Depot 27482 Fraser Hwy, Aldergrove BC ~Chilliwack Bottle Depot # 2 45934 Trethewey Ave Chilliwack BC ~Sardis Bottle Depot- 4565 B Lark Street ,Chilliwack, BC ~Mission Return-It Bottle Depot- 7233 Park Street ,Mission, BC Check their website for locations in other areas. 3. The account for LIFE Recovery Association is recorded under the following phone number: 604-855-4440 4. Follow the on-screen instructions for printing a label that will connect you to LIFE Recovery's account and you can place the label on the bag of returns. 5. Thank you for donating to LIFE Recovery! Every return helps!

Merry Christmas!

It’s National Addiction Awareness Week. Throughout the week we will share resources and information to help reduce the stigma and open doors to important conversations.

Lest we forget.....

One way to prevent relapse, especially during the holidays, is by maintaining an attitude of gratitude. Many people find it helpful to journal their gratitude t...oward God, individuals in their lives, their recovery, and their churches. If you haven’t begun to track what you’re grateful for, give it a try. As you do, you will begin to see clearer just how blessed you really are! Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 ESV #CR #CelebrateRecovery #Gratitude CelebrateRecovery.com

Such fun today carving a great display of Pumpkins! Wonderful Job Ladies! So very creative!

Thanksgiving - a time to reflect on our blessings. LIFE Recovery is so very grateful for the donors and supporters that kept us going during the Covid times. The gals at the house responded to the question: What are you thankful for? Especially in the hard times in life, it's important to find one thing that we're grateful for. Once you start, you may find that you quickly have a list! It's important, to count the blessings, even the small things. May you have a special time, maybe different than other years with the Covid restrictions? We hope you can count those special blessings.

With gratitude to Abbotsford Chrysler, Matt Shirlaw and an amazing group of Donors, Rose accepts the keys for a new to us Dodge Caravan. We're feeling Blessed.

A colourful day for our Clients and Staff. Learning Personality Dimensions - a great tool to understand oneself and each other. And....it was a lot of fun!