{"id":2389,"date":"2024-01-03T15:26:46","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T15:26:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/?p=2389"},"modified":"2024-01-03T20:10:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T20:10:04","slug":"kristi-kenkels-god-given-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/2024\/01\/03\/kristi-kenkels-god-given-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristi Kenkel\u2019s God-Given Purpose"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kristi Kenkel\u2019s God-Given Purpose<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meet Kristi Kenkel!  Having arrived to CORE in September, 2021, Kristi is working the 12 Steps and has recovered.  She actively contributes to our program as a 4D Recovery instructor, 2nd<\/sup> Mile member, mentor for newcomers, and avid volunteer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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In fact, Kristi volunteers for so many things at CORE, we never know where we\u2019ll run across her path.  She was quite the sight some months ago at CORE\u2019s golf tournament.  We saw her standing on the back of a fast-moving golf cart, pointing out sponsor signs to be collected.  She kind of reminded us of a sailing ship captain atop of the quarter deck, shouting out orders to sailors below.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily, just the other day, we caught up with her at CORE\u2019s Recovery Center in Branson, where she was getting ready to teach class. Standing behind a podium, she wasn\u2019t going anywhere.  So, we snapped her photo and, after class ended, we dragged her in for a chat about life, addiction, and recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristi isn\u2019t shy with her opinions, confidently declaring \u201cGod has given me purpose; this place has become like my home.  If all I do is help newcomers understand the 12 Steps and recognize that God is the answer, that\u2019s enough for me<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her insightful words reflect the wisdom of someone who has faithfully embarked on a genuine recovery journey.  They contrast starkly with the 20-something person who arrived here two years ago, who\u2019d never been to a rehab in her life and had no idea what the 12 Steps even were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristi\u2019s spiral into addiction lasted six years, disrupting her promising college career in biochemistry and life sciences.  Adept in math and science, she was a straight-A student who\u2019d made the dean\u2019s list multiple times.  However, the allure of the party and club scenes proved to be her downfall.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, it was just alcohol.  \u201cI didn\u2019t see a problem in what I was doing because I\u2019d always made good choices; I didn\u2019t see any consequences from it<\/em>,\u201d she says.  Then a friend introduced her to opiates which, she recalls, \u201cgave me the feeling I was looking for.  I\u2019d never felt confident or comfortable in my own skin.  They made me feel at ease, confident and comfortable with myself<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristi not only abandoned her studies, but she also lost jobs, wrecked cars, and strained ties with her mother and family.  After switching from opiates to methamphetamines, she lived a perilous existence, couch-surfing and resorting to desperate measures, \u201cwhether to beg, borrow, or steal<\/em>\u201d.  Meth, she says, \u201cstarted taking my self-esteem away.  I never thought that I could become that person, who would be on drugs like that<\/em>.\u201d      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She identifies an abusive relationship she suffered as the lowest time of her life.  Kristi saw no hope of ever getting out and despaired of her future, but then fortune smiled upon her in a most unforeseen way.  \u201cI got caught on a possession charge for methamphetamines.  It was the best thing that ever happened to me, even if I didn\u2019t see it at the time,<\/em>\u201d she says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While sitting in jail, Kristi encountered a fellow inmate who spoke highly of CORE. \u201cShe said that it was the best time of her life, that it worked and she was doing good, but she’d fallen off the program and relapsed<\/em>.\u201d  Kristi grasped onto her words like a life preserver.  She doesn\u2019t remember the person\u2019s name today, only that her claim turned out to be prophetically true: the 12 Step program works if you work it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Kristi decided to seek help, the court made an order sending her to CORE.\u00a0 Her family, notably her mother, with whom she had little contact, arrived to her support.\u00a0 \u201cI stayed the night at my mom’s house for the first time in six years.\u00a0 My mom and little brother drove me here<\/em>,\u201d she recalls. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon arrival, Kristi quickly learned about the cycle of addiction and how it applied to her.  She\u2019d always denied, minimized, confused, or rationalized her attachment to drugs, but what she learned at CORE \u201cmade perfect sense<\/em>,\u201d she says, adding \u201cI\u2019d always asked why I\u2019m different.  People said I had a problem, but I never understood why.  When the cycle was right in front of me, I knew.  I am different, and I saw why<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Kristi came to believe that God had been looking out for her all along. There had been opportunities for her to leave her abuser, in fact, but she never acted upon them.  It took what Kristi saw as the most unlikely of circumstances \u2013 the criminal charge, jail, the enigmatic (yet inspiring) claims of her cell mate \u2013 to carry her to a place of complete safety, where people understood her circumstances and honestly wanted to help.  \u201cHe was looking out for me.  He did that.  He\u2019d answered my prayer<\/em>.\u201d  Kristi then accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior; shortly thereafter, she was baptized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also had the fortune to land a job with an employer who understood her connection to CORE.  In fact, her manager had been a client here, too, and took genuine interest in Kristi\u2019s progress.  Kristi remembers \u201cShe kept asking where I was on the steps, about my fourth step, and fifth<\/em>.\u201d  Impatient with her efforts, the manager issued an ultimatum.  \u201cShe said, well, you\u2019re not coming back to work until you do them.  I actually ended up doing my 5<\/em>th<\/sup><\/em> Step with her<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristi says upon completing these important steps her spiritual experience was \u201cimmediate.<\/em>\u201d  \u201cI felt different inside, like a weight had been lifted from me.  I felt free.  In the hallways, instead of looking down, I could look straight ahead and smile<\/em>.\u201d  Kristi then began to tackle her character defects and started making her amends. A perceptible, personality change accompanied her progress.  Her obsession was lifted, and Kristi developed a heart for service.  \u201cIt wasn\u2019t about me anymore<\/em>,\u201d she says, \u201cit\u2019s boring if I\u2019m not helping others because, it was like, then what am I even here for<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her relationship with family, especially her mother, definitely has been restored.  A veritable caravan of family members showed up for Kristi\u2019s graduation ceremony from CORE\u2019s one-year program.  \u201cMy mom, stepdad, older and younger brothers, stepbrothers, my other stepbrother\u2019s wife, uncle, stepmom and her husband<\/em>,\u201d she notes out loud.  Kristi absolutely beams while telling us \u201cI talk to my mom every day now.  She doesn\u2019t wake up in the middle of the night wondering where I am, whether I\u2019m still here, or if I\u2019m still breathing.  It\u2019s great to have family back in my life, a family that trusts me to be at home<\/em>!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

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Kristi talked at length about her recovery, the exciting projects she\u2019s been part of, and her hopes for new adventures in the future (like mission trips with the 2nd<\/sup> Milers).  Still, the best part of recovery for Kristi is simply living serenely, in the present:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used to take the little things for granted, without being present in the moment, like conversations with people, and never enjoying simple things like cooking, going out with friends, or watching movies together.  I live in the present now and remember, and I don\u2019t take anything for granted.  I never thought I\u2019d be happy, or have a personality or peace of mind, sober.  I never thought I\u2019d have anything.  Now, being here, the 12 Steps, God, recovery \u2013 with all of this \u2013 I can have it all<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We at CORE are overjoyed by Kristi’s commitment to God and her remarkable recovery journey.  Our hope is for her continued growth in both her sobriety and her relationship with God.  May all the dreams she envisions for her newfound life materialize toward a future filled with fulfillment, joy, and purpose.  We\u2019ll continue to stand by her side, unwavering in our support for her beautiful journey that lies ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kristi Kenkel\u2019s God-Given Purpose Meet Kristi Kenkel!  Having arrived to CORE in September, 2021, Kristi is working the 12 Steps and has recovered.  She actively contributes to our program as a 4D Recovery instructor, 2nd Mile member, mentor for newcomers, and avid volunteer. In fact, Kristi volunteers for so many things at CORE, we never…<\/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-2389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389","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=2389"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2389\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/core-usa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}