"I'm not going to say everything always turns out rosy...but it's worth the risk."

Today in our InTheFight Ministry Spotlight: Restoration Ministries. Executive Director of the ministry, Ray Banks, joined us to talk about the impact Restoration Ministries is having on their community.

What are you trying to get done at Restoration Ministries?

We're trying to share the love of God in very practical ways.

We have an after school program where kids can come, get a hot meal, get their homework done, and get some exercise.

Instead of them being at home, getting in trouble, they can be here at Restoration Ministries...by caring adults and college students.

We also have a men's home.

Ray, what helps with addictions. Is there some kind of program you're taking them through?

The program we're taking them through is primarily discipleship.

Just help them walk through the whole process of recovery.

How do you help them overcome their particular problem?

We definitely understand where they are, and know that no one woke up in the morning and said, "Hey, I'm going to be a drug addict."

It's a gradual process and it's a gradual process out of it.

A lot of our habits we have to unlearn, then we have to learn new habits.

Do you have total free reign as to how you can lead these people to total redemption?

We have  total free reign as to what we want to do.

We're not bound by government dollars.

We believe that, through the power of Jesus Christ, you can be set free from drug addiction.

We do it practically, really, by working with the men and women and discipling them.

When they come here, they have a certain amount of maintenance.

We get these folks involved in the mission right away.

We also begin to look at their potential. What is that undiscovered gift that hasn't been revealed to them?

We want to build on their strengths and manage their weaknesses.

It sounds like once they start serving, they begin to get healing.

Often the healing or maintenance is found when you join the mission.

Once you become a drug addict, you become a liability to the community.

But we believe that if a person comes to Christ, he's forgiven. And that person deserves a second chance at life. We don't want to give a man a handout, but a hand up.

So we want to begin to show these folks that they have value by giving them responsibility in the mission.

We have some who organize our food pantry.

Myself who came through the program is now Executive Director.

We have a young man and young ladies who are managers at our retail stores.

So we really put a lot of stock in folks.

I'm not going to say everything always turns out rosy...but it's worth the risk.

What are the biggest problems Restoration Ministries face this year?

I would say the biggest problem we face this year is, like all non-profits, finances.

We're trusting God that he will continue to send donors.

We don't rely totally on government funding for our programs; we rely on individual donors.