Transformation Happens at HopeQuest…

Hi, I’m Brian Minor, and I went through the Trek program in 2017. Whether you’re a Trek alum, attend Walking Free or Journey, been to a Reclaiming Families Weekend, or are a dear friend and support the ministry of HopeQuest, we all have been touched in some way by God through this amazing ministry – and every one of us has a story to tell about that.

This is my story.  

In 2013 I was facing a big transition. I just became the missions pastor at church which was new for me. At the same time, I had to have a root canal done so I went and got a prescription for pain killers.

A couple weeks went by another stressful situation came up. I went to the doctor and got a prescription for Adderall. I had taken it in college to help study and prepare. It was a miracle drug for me. I took one, and then I took more and more until 3 days later I used all my medication.

Going back to my childhood, I can remember as a 10 year-old taking my first pain pill and instead of feeling down and lethargic and disconnected, it actually gave me energy and made me feel confident.

I always saw it as something that I could just stop. I could use Adderall to get this job done, then I’m good. If I could just use the pain killers to get me off Adderall, then I’m okay. But I never actually took that first step to try and stop. I just kept putting it off and putting it off.

In the summer of 2016, my father-in-law passed and it was in that place the first thought I had was, “I don’t want to deal with this pain.” So I called the doctor and asked if I could get a script. I got another script for Adderall. As I was sitting there going through my father-in-law’s stuff, I wondered, “What would happen at my death? What would my wife find out about me? How surprised she would be that the man she fell in love with was trapped in addiction. So, I stuffed it down. 

The event that got me to HopeQuest happened on day when I went to a funeral and later was at someone’s house, and left on the sink in the bathroom was a pill bottle full of Hydrocodone. There were like 2-3 pills in there and I took one. The next day I woke up and the LORD spoke to me audibly and said, “Repentance is a gift. Your journey starts today.” 

My Executive Pastor called an emergency meeting and said, “You need to come in.” All sorts of emotions were going through me: panic, fear. I had no proof I would actually be caught, but I was praying that I would. I walked into his office and just lost it. I didn’t have to say a word. He knew what I had been doing. I told him, “I want freedom. I want out! I need help!” I confessed everything to him and that’s what lead me, by God’s providence, to find HopeQuest.  

As a pastor I learned to hide my pain and hurt behind masks. How could I struggle with addiction and yet lead others? I had a head knowledge of authentic community, but at home I couldn’t even connect with my own family. HopeQuest gave me the tools to communicate and connect with my family again. I learned how to engage in healthy conflict resolution and how to invite Jesus into my struggle versus constantly trying to clean myself up to be approved by Him. HopeQuest truly changed our family’s trajectory.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, and thank you for your gift this month to HopeQuest. 

Gratefully,

Brian and Meredith Minor