Dan and Pris Gollan

He has shown you, O man, what is good; …to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8

A new direction is afoot. 

One year ago, we started a men’s rehab centre in a small village near Rzhyshchiv.  We noted that there are thousands of Ukrainians wanting to be part of a rehab program and so in a sense, there is a big need for places like this.  A friend who himself, had gone through rehab about four years ago, had asked me a few times if I would consider starting such a ministry and after a lot of praying, thinking, asking others for thoughts and advice, we proceeded to take in men who wanted help. 

We’ve had several men “come to visit” for a day or a couple of weeks even… and decide that they aren’t willing to do what is necessary to be free from their addictions.  From those who stayed for longer, less than half have given up.  This is a statistic which I’m happy with.  I would like to see a 100% success rate, but anything over 50% will satisfy me.

God has blessed us with a few people who have regularly given to this ministry, and even though we have encountered numerous challenges making ends meet, we haven’t felt like we had no option but to close the ministry.

We made a decision early on that we wouldn’t open a second home, (or even seriously consider it), until at least a year had gone by.  I’ve had a few ideas float through, and felt the pull from time to time as people kept on calling us to see if we had a free place… but we resisted temptation. 

Early on, I considered the option of opening a ladies rehab centre as our second centre, but as I heard testimonies of how difficult it would be with ladies, I felt more and more negative about it.  It is actually a bit of a surprise to me that we are moving in this direction now.  How did it happen?  I don’t know.  It just happened!

We want to open a Rehab Centre for the healing of precious ladies made in the Image of their Creator for the purpose of glorifying Him.  And so I present to you the following:

    VISION: Open a Rehab Centre for Ladies in which they would come to know Christ and be freed from their addictions.

Details:

We want to buy a cheap house in a village close to us that would be sufficient to house up to 10 ladies at a time. We will encourage them to stay in the centre for at least three months, but generally for not more than one year. During this time, they will be exposed to people who live for God’s glory, spend much time in God’s Word, and be presented with the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus. If they believe in Him, they will be taught God’s principles for responsible living. Part of the rehab process involves immersion in God’s Word on an individual level and encouraging a healthy relationship with God. The rehabilitants are also required to do chores, take care of a large garden and be an integral part of the local church.

Needs (to enable this ministry to come about):

Financial needs:

A House: A good house has come onto the market – one we consider to be totally ideal. It is 75m², has five rooms, and is ready to be lived in right away. There is a very large shed, 140m² on the property as well as buildings for storage. The property has a small lake on it and backs onto a forest. The total official area of the block is 1.2 acres.

The reasons we feel like God has brought this house to our attention:

1. It is right across the road from our men’s rehab centre.

2. We have talked with the sellers and they have offered it to us for US$13,000 – an excellent price - (instead of the original $25,000 price.)

3. The house is a good size with all that is necessary to house ladies.

4. The 140m² shed is something we would use as a workshop to produce wooden beds to sell and do other projects in.

Running costs: Per month, we need approximately $500 if the centre is full. $4,800 per year.

Volunteers:

We have a few ladies in our church that would be willing to do Bible studies and lessons on different subjects, but we are praying that God would provide two ladies who will sleep out there during the nights and “watch over the ladies” and who would consider it their full-time ministry.

Comments:

1. Statistics say that about 6 million or 14% of people are drug addicts in Ukraine. It is estimated that 40% of children (14-18 yrs) systematically drink alcohol and about 15% of people overall are alcoholics. We have people calling us every week to see if we have a place free to take someone… and we don’t advertise.  If money were not an issue, we would open another men’s rehab centre and have it full in short order. 

2. We prefer to take drug addicts – the statistics on becoming free from drugs in centres in our evangelical circle are higher than for those addicted to alcohol. During this past year, we have only taken people who have a recommendation from an evangelical church.

3. We have been running a rehab centre for men since March 2016, and recognize from talking with others that there is also a great need for centres like ours for women. We think of our centre as a discipleship training centre, affecting men so that they take on the attitude of wanting to serve their church and community for God’s glory. 

4. Pavel Grishko has now been involved in rehab centres for four years and has received good training. As a former drug addict himself, he has a heart to see these poor people rid themselves of their addictions in order to glorify God. Under the supervision of local church leadership, he will direct the ministry to both the men and ladies.

5. We have put together and sold a few bunk beds during the last year. Hopefully, the men will be able to get something up and running which can regularly bring in a profit to diminish our need for outside sponsorship. We will get the ladies tending two gardens and also some livestock.

An evangelical rehab centre we know about in Kiev