Bonus Pastor Foundation — Report

Everyday life at the therapy home

Since September, 46 residents have applied for long-term therapy. Several of them have completed the program successfully, some have left in the meantime, and others are still working with commitment on themselves and on restoring their relationships. As always, they move along the path of recovery with varying motivation and intensity – sometimes with momentum, sometimes wearily, then regaining strength – going through a rugged but fulfilling process full of self-confidence and satisfaction. Several of our residents have reached the last two phases of the therapy and have become regular or senior members, which serves as inspiration for everyone who looks up to them as an example to follow.

The composition of the groups is very diverse. There were several very young residents, most of whom sought help because of drug addiction, some first-time applicants, and others who were trying to give themselves a new chance for the second or third time. At the start of therapy everyone arrives with many questions, often with shame, fear and hopelessness. As the days pass, however, they face the broken stretches of their lives and their wrong decisions ever more deeply, settle the burdens of their past and rebuild their relationships, and slowly regain their human dignity.

Shared programs also enrich life at the home: in October a four-day therapy program and a veterans’ meeting took place, and in November a twelve-day intensive program. The residents welcomed the guests with great affection and joy and eagerly carried out the hosting duties. They received the participants and the veterans as peers, and the veterans, through their honest testimonies, gave them new strength, reinforcing the message that it is worth persevering, because recovery and a new, healthy life is within their reach too.

The residents not only receive guests – among them members of the prevention groups, high-school and university students – but also take part with great enthusiasm in events organized elsewhere. Examples were the national meeting in Satu Mare in October and the visit to the sister rehabilitation center in Budapest. These occasions introduce them to the larger “Bonus Pastor” community and show them the importance of aftercare as a key element in sustaining recovery, and offer a safe transition between the protected environment of the therapy home and the outside world.

Daily life at the therapy home is supplemented, besides group sessions, seminars and mentoring conversations, by sports activities and work therapy tasks. The atmosphere is family-like; the residents support one another through the process, help their peers, and encourage those who now and then hit bottom.

We are grateful to everyone who supports us with prayer or in other ways. Special thanks go to the Mureș County Council, whose financial contribution significantly helped the operation of the therapy home. This secure backing is a valuable support for both the staff and the residents.