"Staying Still — No More Running"
"Staying Still — No More Running"
Ashton Hacke
Team Cliff & Vi
Story Summary
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Nakita Cunningham, 37, decided a week ago to enroll herself in a religious ministry facility in Holcombe, Mo. Her step-sisters drove her to the facility where there is zero downtime, chores and over five hours Bible study.
Nakita says she needed to stop running from her problems.
On the one-week anniversary of her arrival at Freedom House, Nakita felt an overwhelming sense of faith and family after battling addiction and having lost connections. She has lived on the streets of Kennett for about 15 years. During her first week at Freedom House, she wrote her own motto, asking God for the courage to stay still and not run from her problems.
However, the next morning, after riding the high of love and faith, Nakita experienced a low point. Trapped in her own thoughts, she faced what she described as a "spiritual attack," leading to a confrontation with the counselors on the front porch, where they reminded her that God loved her and encouraged her not to leave the facility.
Her outburst left her feeling isolated from the others. It wasn’t until she spent time in prayer and offered apologies to the rest of the community that she reconnected, inspiring her to adopt yet a new motto for her second week, focused on forgiveness, love, and understanding.
Nakita Cunningham, 37, faces a wide range of emotions eight days into her recovery at Open Door Church, just outside Kennett, Mo. After dropping out of Kennett High School as a freshman following her mother’s passing, Nakita fell into meth and crack use at 15, became pregnant at 17, lived on the streets for 15 years, and had five incarcerations. Just over a week into the program and in the probationary stage, Nakita has few responsibilities or privileges; her stay is voluntary, but she cannot contact the outside world or leave the facility. She remains for the sake of her three children.
Staff and residents of Freedom House take a smoke break on the front porch of Open Door Church. The church hosts Freedom House, a branch of Mission Teens, Inc., which provides a nondenominational gospel of Jesus Christ to those struggling with “life-controlling problems.” The program lasts eight months, during which participants become staff to help those on probation and emphasizes how individuals can move forward through lessons of faith.
Nakita Cunningham submits her prayer verse for the upcoming week in the devotions room of Open Door Church. The ritual marks her one-week anniversary at the ministry. Her first week's verse read, “God, help me stay still and defeat this—no more running,” while her second week’s verse reads, “God, let me be humble, love others, and show compassion.”
Fellow sisters of the "family" lend a hand to Nakita Cunningham as she cries and prays. She later shared her feelings of shame, God, happiness, and fear with a fellow sister, who quickly reminded her that God does not instill fear. Throughout the day, residents study the Bible for five hours.
Residents of Freedom House are given one cigarette at a time. They get seven for a weekday and eight on weekends. Counselor Ryan Burhans hands Nakita Cunningham her cigarette allowance from the locked filing cabinet in the director's office at Open Door Church.
Eight days into her stay in rehab, Nakita Cunningham searches for her fellow sisters while sitting alone at the female dining table. After storming out of the house and threatening to leave the ministry, some of her fellow sisters did not join her at the table. Several went to speak with counselors about feeling disturbed by Cunningham’s “spiritual attack” which was in sharp contrast with the spiritual high of the day before. The ministry claims that for every three individuals who join, one person leaves and does not continue the program.
Nakita Cunningham sews a pillow at Open Door Church. While her schedule is jam-packed with work throughout the day, a few personal moments are allowed, including sewing, showering, playing board games, and sleeping.
Because she is in the probationary stage of rehab, Nakita Cunningham cannot be left alone, so she sweeps the devotion room under supervision of trainee Paige Weiss. The entire facility is run using military abbreviations and strict instructions to keep the residents in order at all times.
Nakita Cunningham settles into a van for a short field trip to the ministry's church in Holcomb, Mo. Just a week into rehab, the future remains uncertain for Nakita. “It’s still transforming me. I’ve only been here for about a week. It’s my flesh that still controls me. I would tell my future self that my past is my past, and to not look back, to stay still, walk forward with the Lord when needed, and don’t run without Him.”