{"id":1996,"date":"2023-02-06T21:19:59","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T21:19:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/?p=1996"},"modified":"2023-02-06T21:26:32","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T21:26:32","slug":"kelsey-munoz-walking-in-newness-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/2023\/02\/06\/kelsey-munoz-walking-in-newness-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Kelsey Mu\u00f1oz: Walking in Newness of Life<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kelsey Mu\u00f1oz: Walking in Newness of Life<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meet Kelsey Mu\u00f1oz!  <\/span>Over the past year, Kelsey has been busy as a honey bee, with awesome results! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This month, Kelsey commences CORE\u2019s one-year recovery program.  <\/span>Additionally, she: (1) is starting as house manager at our 6th<\/sup><\/span> Street facility, (2) has been accepted into our Second Mile group, and (3) has begun working for CORE.  <\/span>On top of this, Kelsey\u2019s successfully making her way through Stone County\u2019s drug court program, too.  <\/span>Whew \u2013 we\u2019re worn out just thinking about it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recently sat down with Kelsey to talk about her addiction and recovery.  <\/span>At the outset of our interview, Kelsey made plain that she credits God for her return to health.  <\/span>She pointedly told us, \u201c\u2018But God’ \u2013 that means so much to me.  <\/span>I was a struggling addict with no ambition who didn\u2019t know what she was doing with her life.  <\/span>\u2018But God<\/i>.\u2019\u201d   <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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Indeed!  <\/span>In so many Bible stories, those two words signal God\u2019s intervention to make everything right again.  <\/span>When all seems lost and we read \u201cbut God,\u201d we just know He\u2019s coming to the rescue.  <\/span>God redeems and makes all things new if we seek His will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelsey said several things, in fact, that indicated how diligently she\u2019s been studying the Bible.  <\/span>Our interview, moreover, lasted almost two hours!  <\/span>We\u2019ll do our best to abbreviate her testimony below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She grew up in nearby Cassville and married shortly after high school.  <\/span>The marriage was not a happy one, however, and about three years ago, Kelsey and her husband separated.  <\/span>She found herself alone, with children, and working full-time at a factory job.  <\/span>Coming home, once the children had been put to bed, Kelsey began self-medicating with alcohol \u2013 drinking to wind down and help her sleep.  <\/span>We who are recovered can see her situation as a disaster waiting to happen.  <\/span>And happen it did.    <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her mother arrived to take charge of the children, and it was agreed that Kelsey would get herself clean and sober.  <\/span>By this time, however, she was powerless.  <\/span>She had no idea what to do and spiraled downward.  <\/span>She discovered methamphetamines, then fentanyl, in quick succession.  <\/span>Kelsey remembers, “I had friends saying, all you do is do drugs, nod out, and throw up.  <\/span>That’s all you do.  <\/span>You’re not a person<\/i>.”  <\/span>She also remarked how quickly she went from depression into full-blown addiction, saying, \u201cI was not prepared.  <\/span>But it goes to show, I think, if there’s no self-care or mental awareness of what is going on around you, you can plummet.  <\/span>It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then she got into criminal trouble, which made the local paper.  <\/span>The good people of her hometown were scandalized.  <\/span>They knew her parents as reputable folk.  <\/span>They were dependable people, with good careers, who went to bed every night at 9:00 p.m., like clockwork.  <\/span>Now, she’d alienated her family.  <\/span>Nobody was coming to her support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Kelsey\u2019s court hearing, things looked bleak.  <\/span>She might have gone to jail, but the professionals working her case spotted Kelsey’s problem and acted.  <\/span>Significantly, it was a prominent judge who decided that what Kelsey needed, more than anything, was help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there is a dean of drug courts in America, Judge Alan Blankenship is that guy.  <\/span>When Congress recently sought testimony about federal funding for drug court programs nationwide, they asked for Judge Blankenship.   <\/span>He knows his stuff.  <\/span>He also approved drug court as part of Kelsey\u2019s sentencing.  <\/span>She recalls, “Judge Blankenship told me it was a tough program, but it was all about getting help and being honest.  <\/span>He said it was a big opportunity for me<\/i>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelsey arrived to Branson in the autumn of 2021 \u2013 her first time ever living away from home.  <\/span>Initially, she bounced from one sober living place to another and was subjected to all sorts of influences.  <\/span>In fact, Kelsey divulged that she had tried working the 12 Steps using \u201cmother earth\u201d as her Higher Power.  <\/span>\u201cI was trying to figure it out, but I really had no clue, to be honest.  <\/span>I was into this hippie stuff, praying to mother earth, spreading positivity.  <\/span>I would ground, walk barefoot, and meditate every day<\/i>.”  <\/span>Not surprisingly, that wasn\u2019t working for Kelsey, but things turned around when she got to CORE:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI had to figure out my Higher Power and not be influenced by anyone who was going to gain anything from it.  <\/span>I just had to buckle down, and that’s what I did at CORE.  <\/span>I gave it my absolute all.  <\/span>I started studying the Bible, educating myself.  <\/span>I really hit the ground running.  <\/span>And from not having a conception of who my Higher Power is to now having a personal relationship with God, that\u2019s huge.  <\/span>All that time I was trying to run the show, He was there, just waiting for me.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Kelsey walks in newness of life.  <\/span>She expressed her gratitude for the many people who helped her along the path to recovery.  <\/span>She mentioned her counselor, attorney, and people at drug court, all of whom took an interest in her recovery and, in her own words, \u201csaved my life<\/i>\u201d.  <\/span>Of Judge Blankenship she says, “He saw me when I was lost, like a puppy.  <\/span>Now he sees me, once a month, and he’s proud.  <\/span>That means so much to me<\/i>.”  <\/span>She also mentioned CORE\u2019s Jen Brinkman (Women\u2019s Coordinator) and Kevin Hunt (Program Manager), who have accompanied her to every appearance at drug court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelsey also spoke favorably about CORE\u2019s recovery program, saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCORE is different.  <\/span>I’d been to other programs here in Branson, but something is different about CORE. It gave me the support I needed not only to find recovery, but also to manage it.  <\/span>Every day is a little different, you know?  <\/span>CORE teaches me that recovery is possible through all of them.  <\/span>There\u2019s always light at the end of the tunnel.  <\/span>Because in other programs, or in life altogether, it doesn\u2019t always seem that way.  <\/span>There was a time I couldn\u2019t even wrap my head around the fact that sobriety and happiness were possible.  <\/span>I found those here at CORE<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelsey is still relatively young in her recovery, but she\u2019s actively working the 12 Steps to reclaim her life.  <\/span>This includes making proper amends to her children, and to their grandparents.  <\/span>Over the holidays, she met personally with her parents.  <\/span>She\u2019s also been in daily communication with her oldest children.  <\/span>She understands, moreover, that apologies are mere words unless her actions are aligned with just principles.  <\/span>So, Kelsey is making amends by showing her new way of life in recovery.  <\/span>\u201cMy goal<\/i>,\u201d she said, \u201cis to have all of my children once I’ve accomplished everything I need to do here<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She doesn\u2019t have a specific deadline in which to complete the drug court program, although she\u2019s phasing up according to expectations.  <\/span>Until her work there is done, Kelsey is busily discovering the many blessings that recovery has in store.  <\/span>As an example, she jumped at the chance to come work for CORE, telling us, \u201cThere’s no amount of money in the world that compares to doing God’s work.  <\/span>And I do believe that that’s what this whole CORE program is doing, every single day, by just helping people<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We at CORE well understand that what Kelsey wants more than anything is to return home and be with her family.  <\/span>We\u2019ll continue to support her efforts to accomplish this as we are able, even though she will be missed.  <\/span>When the happy day arrives, we\u2019ll celebrate with her, giving all glory to God!   <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kelsey Mu\u00f1oz: Walking in Newness of Life Meet Kelsey Mu\u00f1oz!  Over the past year, Kelsey has been busy as a honey bee, with awesome results! This month, Kelsey commences CORE\u2019s one-year recovery program.  Additionally, she: (1) is starting as house manager at our 6th Street facility, (2) has been accepted into our Second Mile group,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1996\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}