A message of faith, recovery, and second chances

Approximately 75 inmates gathered in the Wright County Jail gymnasium on Friday, Oct. 30, for an event titled, Holding on to Hope, providing an afternoon that offered more than just words of encouragement. The event created an opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of addiction, personal struggles, faith, and the possibility of a different future.  

The gathering, organized by Buffalo resident Kelly Zitzloff, who works as a certified peer recovery specialist with Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, brought messages of healing and change for those in attendance.

Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge is a nonprofit, faith-based addiction treatment and recovery organization that helps teens and adults overcome chemical addictions and other life-controlling issues. 

Sgt. Noelle Fleshner of the Wright County Sheriff’s Office said events such as Holding on to Hope are intended to help inmates prepare for re-entry into the community after their release from jail.  

The afternoon featured four speakers who shared their personal journeys, each offering a message that regardless of a person’s past, change is possible.

Among them was Pastor Rich Scherber, founder and former executive director of Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge, who grew up in Hanover. Pastor Scherber shared his own story of addiction, including a five-year struggle that ultimately led him toward ministry and the founding of Minnesota Teen Challenge.

He explained how the prayers and encouragement of others helped him recognize that his circumstances did not have to define the rest of his life and that change was possible.

“There is a God. There is a Creator. There is a plan for your life,” Scherber told those in attendance. 

Following words from Pastor Scherber, Zitzloff shared her personal story. Having once found herself in circumstances similar to those of the inmates listening to her, Zitzloff spoke about her own recovery journey and the role Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge played in helping her turn her life around.

During Spiritual Emphasis Week, a part of MN Adult and Teen Challenge programming, Zitzloff shared that she had a powerful experience of the Holy Spirit working through her. She went on to graduate with honors from Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge and now works for the organization, helping others who are facing some of the same challenges she once experienced.

Erik Carlson, a graduate of Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge who now serves as a peer specialist at the Wright County Jail, spoke about the importance of being able to share his experience and mentor others.

Carlson described the opportunity to work with inmates and offer encouragement as “one of the greatest honors of my life.”

He also credited the Wright County Jail as being instrumental in helping him reach a point of lasting change and preparing him to participate in programming offered through Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge.

“It doesn’t matter what your life looked like before, there is hope,” Carlson said. “Teen Challenge helped to change the core of who I am.”

Eric Johnson, another individual who credited Minnesota Teen Challenge with helping him make significant changes in his life, spoke about the importance of recognizing what matters most. For Johnson, that means being fully present for his family.

“Everyone is a child of God. If you want to be healed, it’s a free gift, but there’s a lot you have to change,” Johnson said. “It takes a lot of sacrifice.”

While each speaker shared a different path to recovery, their messages carried a common theme: A person’s past does not have to determine their future.

The stories also illustrated that meaningful change rarely comes easily. It often requires difficult decisions, sacrifice, faith, and a willingness to accept help from others. For those who have struggled with addiction or other life-controlling issues, the road forward can be challenging, but it does not have to be traveled alone.

For the inmates who attended Holding on to Hope, hearing from people who have experienced addiction and found a way forward offered a powerful reminder that life is not set in stone.

Through faith, support, and a commitment to change, a different future is possible. Sometimes, hearing that message from someone who has walked a similar road can be the first step toward believing and making it a reality.