My name is Andrey, I’m 55 years old. I was addicted to alcohol for a very long time, but thank God—He set me free from that addiction.
I started drinking at the age of 17. My mother tried many times to help me. I even went through seven different types of treatment and “coding” (a psychological method to suppress cravings), but none of it worked. As soon as I had a little money in my pocket, I’d start drinking again. Eventually, it turned into long drinking binges that lasted for days. My family suffered a lot—my mom, my wife, and my daughter. I even started stealing and taking things from our home.
God worked it out so that I moved to Israel with my family, hoping to start a new life. But sadly, I kept falling into the same patterns. That’s when I learned about Christian rehabilitation centers. Hoping for help, I went to one… then another… then the third, the fifth, the tenth—nothing helped. I traveled all over Israel trying to find a solution.
Then, by chance, I heard about a rehab center in the city of Karmiel. During one especially bad drinking binge that lasted two weeks and left me without any hope, I called the center and explained my situation. The person on the other end told me, “Hold on—we’re already on our way to you.” Brothers from the Bait Ham Hesda house of mercy came to pick me up—Valeri, one of the leaders, and a few others who had also been through the program.
That’s how I ended up at the Bait Ham center. Honestly, I thought it would be the same as all the others—but the longer I stayed, the more my view changed. This place was different. I started reading the Bible and studying the lessons they gave us to help understand Scripture better. Through this, I began to truly know God.
A big part of my healing was the personal care and conversations I had with Valery, the elder brother of the house. At Bait Ham Hesda, I found a new life—one that finally had meaning.
After completing the rehab program, I moved into the second stage of the program, where I faced new life challenges. Thank God, things went well. Some time later, I made a covenant with God through water baptism and became a member of the church.
I’m so grateful to the Lord for everything He’s done for me, for bringing me to this house of mercy—Bait Ham Hesda. I’m also incredibly thankful to Valeri and his family for the support they gave me, and to our bishop Brother Valentin, Pastor Andrey, Deacon Andrey, and all the brothers. Praise God that a place like this exists—where you can find God, a new life, and a new family.
