Heartland Recovery - Heartland Recovery

Heartland Recovery E-Newsletter

One of our residents, who recently phased up in the Men’s Program, shared how close he came to losing everything. It started with a routine traffic stop. Instead of pulling over, he fled, and ended up in jail. Not long after his release, he was arrested again on a weapons charge, a Class D felony. Facing serious consequences and with nowhere to turn, he called Heartland Recovery. He didn’t want to come at first. The rules felt overwhelming: no smoking, no talking to women, and waking up at 5:30am. But, he came anyway.

Six months later, he’s thankful—thankful that God didn’t give up on him, and that Heartland didn’t either. A turning point came when he stopped blame-shifting…. Read more at Great Things Are Happening

Looking for more information about Heartland Recovery, or for ways you can partner with us? Use this link to sign up for our quarterly e-newsletter and info about upcoming events – https://hlandrecovery.org/partner-with-us/

Walking Through Recovery | Kris’ Story

Exit Interview, Recovery

Kris started using drugs at a young age, thinking it was just what the “cool kids” did. What started as experimentation quickly turned into addiction, leading him into a cycle of jail, probation, and parole. Eventually, he lost everything—his home, his family, and nearly his future. “I was tired of my life and ready to give up,” Kris said. “So I turned to God and tried something new.”

That decision changed everything. At Heartland Recovery, he found hope and a fresh start. The biggest turning point came the day before his 43rd birthday when he was baptized and fully surrendered his life to Christ. “Once I made that announcement, everything in my life started turning towards the better,” he shared. Now, with restored family relationships and a new purpose, Kris is attending Bible college and trusting God for the future.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, there is hope. Contact Heartland Recovery today and take the first step toward freedom.

Walking Through Recovery | Cody’s Story

Exit Interview, Recovery

Cody, from just outside St. Louis, knows firsthand that real change doesn’t happen until you decide to make it happen. “I had been what they call a habitual probation violator,” Cody admits. “I hadn’t dropped clean one time since 2019.”

That all came to a head on Valentine’s Day 2023, when he was arrested and spent 60 days in jail. It was there that he first heard about Heartland Recovery. A fellow inmate had a handbook, and as Cody read through it, something stirred inside him. “It really got me thinking that I needed to make some drastic changes, ’cause everything I had done this far didn’t work.”

At Heartland, Cody faced challenges, but those setbacks forced him to reflect. He realized that some of the “changes” he’d made were just surface-level. He had to truly commit. Now, he’s experiencing deeper relationships, restored family connections, and a life that once felt impossible. “God pulled me out of my mess and put me on solid ground. I couldn’t begin to count the blessings that I have today because of the choice that I made and that God impressed on my heart.”

If you’re stuck in the same cycle, feeling that deep longing for something more, don’t let pride hold you back. Seek help. Reach out.

Pagan to Promise Land: My Transformation through Faith and Recovery

Recover Out Loud

A Pivotal Moment: Entering Heartland Women’s Recovery Program

“Brandie honey, please don’t run. You just might not make it if you do.” These were the words that my mom spoke to me as she and my dad dropped me off at the Heartland Women’s Recovery Program in September of 2021. Little did I know the transformation through faith and recovery that would take place in my life during the next year; running away from my problems (literally) had been somewhat of a profession at this point in my life. Considering that as I looked around me that day and saw nothing but corn fields for miles and miles, I thought, “Well God, you sure know what you’re doing now don’t ya?”

The Heartbreaking Reality of Witchcraft

“I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.” Ezekiel 36:24-25

If someone would have told me something like this four years ago, I would have boldly stated, “There is no way in H-E double hockey sticks!” I was a devout pagan woman living a pagan lifestyle—a “green witch” more or less—consumed with crystals and stones that I truly believed were protecting me, message bamboo that helped me track down my ‘prey,’ and splitting the clouds with one command in order to view my gleaming boyfriend, Moon (yes, the actual moon in the sky). It’s true! Such a lost soul in a world full of utter destruction.

Being so engulfed in witchcraft and deception had turned my life for the worst. I know, I know, who would have ever thought so, huh? (Shaking my head as I look back.) As a pagan, you truly believe that you are the one in control of these deceptive demons, elemental spirits, or what some people may call a ‘god’, but the most heart wrenching part of it al, is that “they” are completely in control of you…some just don’t know it, yet. An evil bitterness engulfs you. That brings us our next verse…

The Life-Changing Power of God’s Word

“And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove your heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26

Friends, that is EXACTLY what Christ did for me! Learning how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ (ex. praying and communicating with Jesus, reading the Bible, trusting in the Red Letters) changed my life completely! It molded my heart into something new and beautiful. I learned to trust and obey. My mourning was FINALLY turning into joy! I was able to give the Creator of the universe my life issues so HE could handle them properly and I laid my struggles at the feet of Jesus. I asked Him to take my burdens, guilt and shame (SO much shame) away from me, and then trust that He did!

Experiencing Transformation: A New Heart and Spirit

“And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Ezekiel 36:27

Say what?! Me, obey? The old me would have said, “No way.” Just ask those who knew me at the Madison County Sheriff Department.

But all praise be to God for His goodness and mercy! He did it! The LORD put His Holy Spirit inside of me and now I am forever “ruined for Christ”. (That is a good thing if you weren’t sure.) Being “ruined for Christ” is not about perfection, but surrender. It’s about continually giving your heart to God and letting Him lead!

A Call to Hope

Friends, if you or someone you know is struggling with life altering situations, please give Heartland Recovery a call at 573-633-5606 or visit the “Get Help” page this site so we can help guide you into a new way of life; a life with Jesus Christ at the center of it all. We are not perfect, but we do know that our God truly is!

Brandie Brown, HWRP Staff

To hear more of Brandie’s story of transformation through faith and recovery, click here for her video testimony.

Not Addicts. Brand New Creations.

Recover Out Loud

The Misconception of Addiction as a Lifelong Disease

In the world of recovery, we are often led to believe that addiction is a disease in which there is no known cure. Most would say “once an addict, always an addict”. Many people believe that although there is no hope of ever being set free from that identity, if you follow certain steps and modify your behavior you can achieve sobriety… but you’re still an addict. What a sad and hopeless belief system. Addiction is not incurable.

Our True Identity is Found in God

God is the only One who can determine our identity and our worth, because He is the One who created us. And you will not find the principle of “once an addict, always an addict” anywhere in the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, there isn’t a biblical principle or verse anywhere that will validate or support that belief system. It’s actually quite the opposite; in Mark 9:23 Jesus said, “ALL THINGS are possible to those who believe.”

Addiction is Not the Root Problem

The secular approach to recovery says addiction is the problem. In reality, the problem is not addiction, the problem is our sin and substance abuse is simply a symptom of our sinfulness. The source of the problem lies in our belief system. What we believe about God, ourselves, our sin, and even substance abuse should be learned from God’s perspective, through the truth of God’s Word, not from the world’s view. It is only through the truth of God’s Word that we can be set free.

The Power of Truth in Overcoming Addiction

Jesus said in John 8:31-32 – “If you continue in My Word, you are My disciples indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The truth is that substance abuse is just a symptom of the real problem, and when we try to treat the symptom of the problem without treating the problem itself, the problem still remains. The problem of substance abuse ends up killing us spiritually, mentally, and physically, as many brothers and sisters have lost their minds and their lives to the lies about addiction.

The Supernatural Power of Jesus to Overcome Addiction

In Matthew 14, we find the story of Jesus calling Peter out of the boat to walk on the water. When Peter stepped out of the boat, he had supernatural power to walk on the water because he kept his eyes fixed on Jesus. Those of us bound in addiction need the supernatural power of Jesus to overcome addiction, because there is no system of man that can come and heal our soul-sick broken heart, and only our Creator can give us a new name and a new life. Committing to fixing our eyes on Jesus for supernatural power looks like trusting in Him for the forgiveness of our sins, committing to His Word, daily prayer, and joining His family, which is His church.

Secular Recovery Programs Can’t Fix the Real Problem

I’ve been through countless secular rehabs and behavior modification programs, and none of these systems fixed my problem. All they did was temporarily treat the symptom, which only led to one relapse after another.

My Personal Journey to Healing Through Faith

After 20 years of hardcore meth addiction and almost 13 years in prison, God called me to Heartland Recovery and this is where I found the supernatural power to overcome addiction, by trusting and believing in the truth of God’s Word through a personal relationship with the One who Created me, Jesus Christ. God used His Word and His church to reveal Himself to me in supernatural ways, and it was the love of God through the people of God that broke through the hardness of my heart and opened my blind eyes. I have been completely delivered from any desire to use substances, as I now have something far better in Jesus. By God’s grace I have been completely substance-free for over 10 years.

God’s Plan for Our Lives: Abundant and Free

The fact of the matter is that God did not create us to be hopeless addicts. He created us to live an abundant life, not a broken life. A life that gives hope to the hopeless, and exemplifies His power to heal, save, and deliver.

A New Identity: More Than Overcomers in Christ

God says we are more than overcomers in Christ, royalty in His kingdom, children of the most High God, a people of integrity and honor, a people with a sound mind, a people of the Book, a people with supernatural power to do supernatural things to bring glory to God. World changers, planet shakers, generational curse breakers, a peculiar and holy people who make a difference in this world.
Not sober, but 100% delivered.
Not addicts, but a brand-new creation in Christ.
That’s who we are.

J.C. Morgan, HMRP Group Leader

The Scripture passage we use for our Recovery graduations comes from 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” You can experience the same deliverance that J.C. found. Contact us to learn more.

Walking Through Recovery | Aaron’s Story

Exit Interview, News, Recovery

Aaron, from St. Louis, Missouri, knows firsthand that recovery is a journey. Sometimes, it takes multiple attempts to get it right. His struggle with addiction began in grade school, leading him down a path of substance use and dealing to support his habit. Despite going through Heartland Recovery before, he always found himself slipping back into old habits.

But Aaron didn’t give up. When he came to Heartland for the third time, he knew this time had to be different. “I really humbled myself and surrendered to the calling that God has on my life,” he shares. Now, he embraces the process, understanding that setbacks don’t define the journey—perseverance does.

If you’ve tried and stumbled, don’t lose hope. Each step, even the missteps, can lead to lasting change. As Aaron says, “Cry out to God, and He will answer your call.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, don’t wait to take the first step toward freedom. Heartland Recovery offers hope, healing, and lasting transformation through Jesus Christ. Reach out today and discover the new life that’s possible.