OUR STORY
Patrick Ezell is an elementary school administrator at a local school district. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in History (USM), a Master's Degree in Sport Coaching Education (USM), and a Specialist in Educational Leadership (WCU). Although he is passionate about education and helping mold the next generation of great teachers and students, his biggest passion is his family. His wife Heather, and three sons, Cooper, Shepard, and Chord, have been his strongest support through addiction and recovery. He knows that apart from Christ, there is no hope for recovery from addiction. It is his strong desire to connect those in addiction to the help, healing, and hope found only in Jesus.
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It was this conviction that lead both Patrick and Heather to begin the process of establishing an organization in Southern Mississippi that aimed at walking alongside men in recovery from various addictions. Along the way, there have been plenty of bumps, bruises, and heartache. However, God has been steady in His pushing and prodding along the path He has laid out. What started off as being a "foot in the door" to the Recovery community through transitional housing, has turned into a specific God-given vision to continue the hard work of transition.
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Patrick explains the purpose of Wilderness Refuge Recovery Ministries as, "Honestly, our ministry isn't necessarily about the men. Sure we pour our hearts and time into the men, but what we have to keep in mind is the ripple effect that honest recovery has on the relationships of the men. I know first hand how my journey of recovery has caused ripples in my own small pond. Restored relationships with my Redeemer and my family serve as constant reminders to keep going. Addiction is without a doubt a systems issue. So, what would the world around us look like if we allow Christ to crash our systems and build us back up in His image? Is that not the question that drives this ministry? I have a deep conviction that our ministry can bridge the gaping chasm that addiction has caused in the lives of the men in our home."