The ABSOLUTE Life - Spring 2026
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
For Connie, the journey began with quiet fear and unanswered questions. Her daughter Brittany was already an adult when addiction entered her life, which made it harder to see and even harder to stop. When Brittany moved back home in 2016, something felt off. It was not long before the truth surfaced. Addiction had taken hold.
What followed was a season no parent is ever prepared for.
Connie describes it as a roller coaster. There were long stretches of uncertainty. Days without knowing where Brittany was. Nights wondering if she was safe. As painful as it was, Connie learned quickly that love could not look like rescuing. Boundaries had to be set. Enabling had to stop. Faith had to carry what she could not control.
Even in the heartbreak, Connie prayed. She trusted God with what she could not fix. Around the same time, Brittany’s life was unraveling in ways that mirrored her mother’s fears. Her addiction began in 2015 after being prescribed pain medication. What started as a prescription slowly turned into dependence. That dependence led to heroin. Then homelessness. Then fentanyl. Brittany attempted treatment more than once, but her heart was not ready. She admits she went through the motions without real change.
In 2021, Brittany became pregnant with her son, Jackson. Addiction was still present throughout her pregnancy and afterward. Brittany never had custody of Jackson, and Connie and her husband stepped in to care for him from the day he was born. They later adopted him. It was a decision made out of love, protection, and hope for both Brittany and Jackson. Still, the pain remained.
In 2018, during one of the hardest seasons, Connie experienced a moment she believes came directly from God. While getting ready for work one morning, she sensed Him telling her to trust Him. She was reminded of the prodigal son. God impressed on her heart that Brittany was in a place of deep brokenness, but that He was not finished. Connie believed God would bring her daughter home in His time. That time took years.
Brittany continued to struggle. Detox after detox. Short term treatment after short term treatment. Nothing lasted. Then one day, something shifted. While in treatment, Brittany overheard a simple statement that stopped her in her tracks. “Make an adult decision.”
For the first time, Brittany saw her life clearly. She realized she had spent years avoiding responsibility and running from discomfort. She decided to stay. She decided to get well. She chose to make an adult decision.
After completing treatment, Brittany entered ABSOLUTE Ministries clean and willing. She chose the Coeur d’Alene Women’s Campus because she knew she needed distance from old environments and old habits. She arrived without identification, without a driver’s license, and without a clear picture of what her future could look like. What she did have was humility and a desire to live in a new way.
At first, Brittany approached ABSOLUTE like another program with an end date. Over time, that mindset changed. She learned that ABSOLUTE is not treatment. It is a way of life. She began to observe how healthy adults live, work, and relate to others. She surrendered her timeline and focused on daily obedience. Life became lighter. Growth became steady.
Today, Brittany, with staff’s assistance has regained her driver’s license and a car. She works full time as a machine operator at Huntwood Cabinet. She attends Lake City Church and meets regularly with her mentor, Sam. She is currently in Season Two of the ABSOLUTE Workbook and recently celebrated ten months of sobriety.
Most importantly, restoration is happening in her family. Brittany now sees Jackson regularly. Jackson is five years old. Brittany knows that one day he will understand why he lives with Grandma and Papa. She also knows he will see something else. That his mom chose to follow Jesus and to pursue a new life.
For Connie, hope has been restored. She is honest about the lingering fear that comes from watching years of addiction. She is protective. She is cautious. But she also sees fruit. She trusts the structure ABSOLUTE provides. She believes Brittany is safer, growing, and learning how to live in Idaho.
Connie reflects on the years her family supported ABSOLUTE Ministries before Brittany ever entered the program. They attended events. They prayed. They sowed seeds without knowing if they would ever see the harvest. Today, those seeds of faith are bearing fruit. Brittany’s story is still being written. But it is now rooted in truth, accountability, and faith. A mother’s prayers met a daughter’s yes. Together, their stories point to the same truth.
Redemption is real. New life is possible. And a new way forward is being lived one day at a time.
Save the Date - PREPARE the WAY
You’re invited to an unforgettable evening at ABSOLUTE Ministries’ Spring Fundraiser, “PREPARE the WAY“, on Friday, May 29th, 2026!
Join us for an inspiring night filled with powerful testimonies and celebration of transformation as we come together to support our mission of ending the cycle of addiction.
Doors open at 5:30 PM, with the event running from 6:30 to 8:30 PM
Pavilion Building in the Puyallup Fairgrounds, 110 9th Ave SW, Puyallup, WA 98371.
Reserve your ticket here:
A Moment for the Mentors!
At ABSOLUTE Ministries, we believe sustainable recovery is built through real relationships and lived out in everyday life. That is why our Mentor Program is essential. Each Member is intentionally connected to a local Bible teaching and Jesus loving church, where they are paired with a mentor who walks alongside them. ABSOLUTE provides a safe and structured environment where Members learn responsibility and stability. Mentors help carry that growth into the broader community so it continues beyond our homes.
Our Mentor Program is a partnership with local churches and the body of Christ. Mentors are intentional friends who encourage, listen, pray, and consistently point Members back to Jesus. Much of mentoring happens in everyday moments like sharing a meal, running errands, or attending church together. Healthy boundaries and close communication with staff keep the program strong and safe. Mentorship prepares Members for life beyond ABSOLUTE and helps them build a new way of life rooted in faith, community, and responsibility. We love our mentors that have chosen to partner with our ministry!
If you’re interested in becoming a ministry mentor partner, please email: info@absoluteministries.org
We are excited to announce the release of a brand-new resource designed especially for mentors and those walking alongside individuals in recovery, ABSOLUTE Ministries Mentor Field Manual. This easy reading manual was thoughtfully created to equip mentors and faithful friends with practical tools, biblical guidance, and meaningful ways to walk closely with someone on their journey of recovery.
Inside, you’ll find helpful conversation starters to build trust, insights to deepen understanding of your mentee, gentle ways to consistently point to Christ, and guidance on how to be an intentional and supportive friend. There is also dedicated space for personal notes and prayer journaling, allowing you to reflect and document the journey together.
At ABSOLUTE Ministries, we believe that healing happens through God focused relationships, and that mentorship is one of the most powerful places where God’s presence and transformation are experienced. Our prayer is that this manual will encourage and equip you as you love, lead, and listen to the one God has placed in your life.
Jesus Made it Grow!
ABSOLUTE started back in 2009 with a humble 1,000-square-foot house and a heart for those stuck in the cycle of addiction. Over the years, we’ve journeyed, authored a replicable program, and now occupy 16 different dwellings spread across Washington and Idaho with more on the way. Because God has made our ministry grow, ABSOLUTE Ministries will celebrate 17 years in March 2026!
Dear Friends,
As you read the story in this newsletter, I hope you felt what we feel every day at ABSOLUTE Ministries: gratitude, awe, and a deep respect for the slow, faithful work of transformation.
Stories like Brittany and Connie’s remind us that recovery is not an event, it’s a journey. Healing occurs when people receive more than a few moments of help. It happens when they are given time, structure, truth, community, and a place to belong.
From the beginning, ABSOLUTE was never meant to be a short stop on the road to sobriety. Our calling has always been bigger. We exist to walk with people from brokenness to sustainability, helping them build a whole life rooted in Christ. As we look ahead, we are stepping more fully into a vision God has been shaping for years: a Christ-centered continuum of care that meets people where they are and walks with them all the way home.
That vision begins in moments of crisis and stabilization, continues through residential healing, and ultimately leads people into healthy independence and a thriving relationship within a local church. Not just sober, but discipled. Connected. Sustained.
We believe the local church was never meant to be a side note in recovery. It is the main destination. Community, accountability, worship, and a “Jesus family” are where long-term transformation takes root.
This Spring marks 17 years of God’s faithfulness to ABSOLUTE Ministries. What began in a single home has grown into a ministry serving men, women, and children across Washington, Idaho, and Montana too. As we move forward, we are prayerfully building a model that doesn’t exist anywhere else. A comprehensive, Christ-centered model of recovery that bridges clinical care, daily life, and spiritual formation in a way that is both practical and deeply biblical.
None of this happens alone.
Your prayers, generosity, and thoughtful consideration enable us to continue building environments where lives are restored, families are healed, and futures are rewritten. As we step into this next season, we invite you to continue standing with us as God expands this work. Who do you know that needs to hear about this work?
Thank you for believing in redemption that lasts. We’ll see you soon at the Spring event.
JESUS is ABSOLUTE,
Cameron Birk, Founder
