A Journey to Freedom

Patchakan is home to a non-profit rehabilitation center that has been serving persons struggling with addiction. Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center has been running for over fifteen years. It has seen many people fighting different forms of addiction from alcohol, to hard drugs like crack, cocaine and more. But their approach to healing is a holistic one. They describe it as a journey to freedom. This week’s look on the bright side will share the story of one man’s journey to freedom and how he now helps others on the very same path he traveled. Here’s that story.

Jeff Grajales

Jeff Grajales, Rehabilitating, Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center

“I reached a point where all the doors were closing, losing jobs, you know, relationship problems. And then one day I’m like, you know, I know what the value of my life is. I have more value to it. There’s more value to it than just alcohol and drugs, you know, because at the end of the day, alcohol and drugs will never finish, but my life will, and I don’t want to end it that way.”

Jeff Grajales is at Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center for his fight against addiction.  He has been struggling with alcoholism for many years and is now on a journey to freedom.

Jeff Grajales

“We seem to forget that we are not just hurting ourselves, but. The people that actually care and love us, you know? Mm-hmm. Especially family. And we seem to forget the value of our, of our lives, our daily lives. Being here actually, you have time to, to reflect on life, reflect on your mistakes. Not to forget it, but to learn from them.”

Mario Castellanos knows what this journey is like. He entered this very same rehabilitation center nine years ago. Prior to coming here, he was an alcoholic on the verge of drinking himself to death.

Mario Castellanos

Mario Castellanos, Director of Rehabilitation, Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center
“I reached a point in my life where I was hopeless, I was broken, I was falling into depression. And, um, the only thoughts that came into my mind was, Taking out my own, my own life because I felt that there was no other way. I started, um, with alcohol at the age of 12. Um, it slowly went, progressing. I didn’t have an idea about what alcohol could cause in our lives.”

Mario was considered fully alcoholic at the age of fifteen. As a teenager, he struggled with anger and even engaged in frequent street fights.

Mario Castellanos
“I was about to be thrown away on the streets and, um, I reached that point where I used to sleep on the streets because of my alcoholism. It progressed to the point that I didn’t only want to consume alcohol, but I was into crack and cocaine and cigarettes and weed and all that stuff that is out there today.”

Castellanos cannot recall how he found himself in rehab. He described it as an act of fate. He was running from the consequences of his addiction and stumbled on what would be the start of a journey to freedom.

Mario Castellanos
“The reason why I came to Jacob’s farm was not because I was looking for a change. I was running away from police and other people that I fought with the night before, but it was during the process that I ended up discovering that I cannot continue with my lifestyle. So it’s a mysterious way how I end up being here, but that’s the greatest thing that could have ever happened to me.”

Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center is a non-profit, faith-based organization. It is currently home to thirteen addicts ranging from ages eighteen to sixty. Now with a full capacity, they are working on expanding their services.

Mario Castellanos
“We have a man from Orange Walk, Corozal. We have from Belmopan, from Cayo. We even have started working with the Mennonites. We currently have two Mennonites that are in our facility right now. The addiction here ranges from crack, crack cocaine alcohol. We have a program called Journey to Freedom, um, and it guides us to a well-structured, um, guide that leads us through the five steps of change.”

The first step is pre-contemplation, also considered denial, where a user would not readily accept that there is indeed an addiction problem.

Mario Castellanos
“You start to blame others. It’s my wife, it’s my job. It’s this, it’s that. You don’t want to accept the fact that you have a problem and you start to blame others.”

The second step is contemplation. At this point, the addict would accept that there is indeed a problem. Most residents of Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center admit themselves at step two. But Castellanos shared that reaching step two does not mean that the healing automatically starts. Some people remain there and simply accept their reality.

Mario Castellanos
“You can get stuck in that stage where you have accepted the fact that you have a problem. But you simply decide not to get into what real recovery is. So what we try to do is we try to encourage our residents, just as I did, to move to the third step of change, which is preparation. Preparation is when you have accepted that you have a problem, you have come out from denial. You have realized that you have a problem, and then you’re willing to make that change happen in your life. So you start to prepare yourself. The word  explains itself. We start to prepare. We start to look, we start to seek help.”

After step three’s change, the fourth step is action. This is the hardest part of the journey to freedom. The commitment to change takes place and self-discovery follows. This step leads to the fifth and final– maintenance.

Mario Castellanos
“How we can keep our sobriety and how we can keep our sobriety is by staying connected with a supportive group. Because we realize that we are powerless. We cannot do this on our own. We stay connected, we find help, and we give back what we have received and, that is the most important thing to just give back what you have received.”

For Mario, giving back through maintenance began in 2017. He served as the Director of Restore Ministries but in 2019, he was tapped to give back in an even bigger way.  Mario is now Director of Rehabilitation at Jacob’s.

Mario Castellanos
“Looking back into my life and seeing myself being on the streets to being the director of rehabilitation in Jacob’s firm, that blows my own mind. How can this ever happen from being on the streets to be serving in a ministry like this? I mean, if God could have done that with me that means that he can do that with whomever is willing to make that change happen in his or her life.”

Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.

Jacob’s Rehabilitation Farm Center is currently filled to capacity. They are working on expanding their facility to house more persons wanting to save their lives from addiction. If you would like to support this non-profit, you can donate to their Atlantic Bank Account number one, zero, zero, two, four, nine, eight, one, one.