Wings of Life located in Downtown Mobile is a recovery center that has a Christian rehabilitation program for people who are on the road to recovery from drug or alcohol addiction. The 90-day program gives both men and women an opportunity to turn their lives around through faith, work and community. Cameron Shaw, a minister-in-training and assistant outreach coordinator for Wings of Life, discussed the importance of this program.

Men and women who are a part of the 90-day rehab program take on work study at Wings of Life. According to Shaw, work study helps participants develop valuable skills like responsibility, time management and discipline. He sees this as an essential part of the program because of how it helped him in his own recent recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. “Before we got here,” Shaw says, “we missed those opportunities. We lacked those skills because of our addiction, but now God is restoring us and [transforming] minds through the work study program.”

As part of a faith-based organization, the leaders who work in the Wings of Life ministry direct their stories and testimonies to God. Shaw shared that he now teaches bible study in an area where he once walked up and down the streets. Lesa Sessions, another minister describes Wings of Life as a “life saver” and says that she believes God sent her there. Shawn Johnson has also been a minister at Wings of Life for seven years and has been clean from drug and alcohol addiction for nine years.

Shaw and Johnson want to use their personal stories to show people who come to Wings of Life that they too can turn away from addiction. “There is a lot of addiction in the world, especially in Mobile and in the downtown area,” says Johnson. He says it is important for the community to know about Wings of Life and support them, so they can continue to help others.

The community can offer support to this organization, whether as individuals, businesses, groups or local ministries. Wings of Life feeds the homeless community every Saturday and welcomes groups or ministries to come volunteer. Buying from the Wings of Life’s thrift store and donating items helps financially support the organization. Wings of Life has also recently started catering services. Companies and local businesses can sponsor the organization by use of its catering services. “We’re looking for people to realize that we’re helping others,” Johnson says, “and that by letting us do business for them… they will be helping them as well.”

The goal for Wings of Life is to reach out and help those who are hurting in the community through ministry. Shaw summarizes this organization in three words: family, hope and love. As Shaw says, love matters the most. “We want to show people the love of Christ because that’s what it’s about.”

For more information, visit the Wings of Life website at http://www.wings-of-life.com/.