There is a gospel addiction treatment center now becoming popular in Yunnan and they call it “Rebirth Paradise.”
The facility is located close to the Burmese border and statistics show that 28% of the world’s illegal drugs enter through Burma to various parts of Asia. As a result, many people become drug users and bring harm to their families and societies. These families and societies were drugs are prominent are also causing them to be tortured by the devil and become helpless, filled with despair and in need of assistance.
As a result of this, various Gospel ministry and Christian groups such as Rebirth Paradise have been established to try and stop the growth of drug addicts in Baoshan. One of them is the Baoshan City Christian Rock Club Committee established on March 30, 2007; a group that aims to carry out anti-drugs and AIDS social care through the help of the Gospel. The Gospel Rehabilitation Project in 2007 was launched in Tsing Hua Church to assist in the effort to stop drugs.
These groups use Gospel treatment which has the following aim: “If you want to quit anesthetic but you need a helping hand, you must be without anesthesia and focus on Jesus. Based on the teachings of the Bible and the faith and life principles it conveys, it is the power of God and the proof that He loves us and He will save us.” One must also learn to abstain or keep away from addiction because it is the heart of sin. In order to remove this evil in their hearts, they must replace it with “righteousness” from the Word of God.
According to the founder of the treatment center Rebirth Paradise Pastor Xu Chengyun, the treatment center is open for male drug addicts and it was created with the idea that “Jesus is a drugsters’ hope”. The Gospel serves as a way for the drugsters to recognize what they have done in their life and renew themselves with the word of God.
When asked about the full history of the facility, Brother Ren, a doctor of religious study who work in the facility, said that Pastor Xu also see the importance of the gospel even if Baoshan’s people remain conservative regarding the teachings of the gospel. Considering these aspects, Pastor Xu wondered how he can change this resistant attitude of the people and deliver the word of God. He also wondered how he can help the people do what they wish but cannot due to the traditions prevailing in the area. There are also concerns on how the power of the Gospel can be applied and how to show the word of God. Adding to this puzzle is how drug disasters can be stopped because Yunnan and the rest of the world cannot stop the growth of drug use. With these factors, Pastor Xu made up his mind and set off to work.
On March 30, 2016, representatives from Beijing’s Haidian church visited Rebirth Paradise to hear the stories from the patients in the treatment center. These patients expressed that they were touched and motivated by the treatment facility, enlightening them as to how they can recover from their ordeal.
Visitors to Rebirth Paradise would see a very clean environment where brothers and sisters would clean every day and recreational activity areas like basketball courts and table tennis. Other facilities also include a spirit room, dormitories, dining rooms and the pastor staff. Since sharing is a very vital aspect of their treatment, patients openly share their spiritual emptiness and problems with fellow patients. They speak about how they got into drugs, citing that it is their friends who tend to instigate their urges to copy their activities. These patients also share stories about their drug overuse and drinking experiences and how the Gospel allowed them to release this darkness from their hearts and become new men thanks to the help of Rebirth Paradise.
Entering this Gospel addiction treatment center must be done voluntarily by the patient and the duration of their stay would span for a year and a half. The patient would be detoxified and engage in various activities such as praying and Bible readings, 3 hours work time to instill the sense of responsibility, exercise, and sports in the afternoon. Exercise and sports would help these patients to cool off their minds and release their energies in more positive channels. Each activity is monitored by a teacher who would assist these activities.
The center currently has six teachers who have been trained to assist in treating and helping these patients. They also have existing backgrounds when it comes to the issues they need to address. Three teachers, for example, have a history of drug use and they use the Gospel to help other drug addicts to recover from their ordeal. These teachers would then encourage these patients and help them feel Jesus’ compassion and healing.
Since Rebirth Paradise was founded, at least 150 people from all over the country have received treatment. These patients also vary in backgrounds as some of them have drug and alcohol abuse backgrounds, and others have internet addiction. Some of them even said that they did not know about Jesus before they entered the facility. Once they left the facility, they all accepted the Gospel and came back to life. Some patients even entered Bible schools to study theology. Others even worked on becoming shepherds and worked on agricultural cooperatives. Some patients even found themselves at home in the treatment facility that they stayed to help out their fellow brothers and sisters in recovering from their ordeal.
Rebirth Paradise could be considered a halfway home for people who wish to return back to society.
Translated by: Zhao Yi
