“I was given another opportunity”
Mary was forced to grow up way too soon … when she became a teenage mother.
She missed out on normal rites of passage like going to prom, playing sports and dreaming about what she would be someday. While her friends were going to football games, Mary was changing diapers and worrying about how to feed and care for her child … while still a child herself.
Lacking life skills and support to be the kind of parent her little one deserved, Mary’s days were filled with conflict, turmoil and anxiety. Unaware of the potential consequences, she turned to alcohol to ease her despair, which began a spiral to addiction that further eroded her stability and self-esteem. Then, tragically, she lost her daughter … and hit rock bottom. “I didn’t care anymore. I went into a really dark, empty place. I lost all hope.”
When she considered ending her life, she knew she had to get help. “I had saved a little piece of myself, and I took that little piece and pulled myself up enough to reach out.”
“I had lost my spirit and stopped believing in everything. I thought that God had gone away, so I went away as well.”
Years earlier, Mary’s brother had reclaimed his sobriety at the Mission, and he suggested our holistic LifeBuilders Program could help Mary, too. When she was greeted at our door with a smile, Mary knew she had come to the right place. “I felt I was getting another opportunity at life.”
Through faith-based counseling, Bible study and life-skills development, Mary is gaining the tools she needs to transform every aspect of her life. Most importantly, with a renewed sense of God’s presence and grace, she’s learning to forgive herself for past mistakes and transgressions.
“That has really made a difference in my life, because my heart was so hard.” Mary is grateful for the many opportunities the Mission offers – including workforce development and education assistance – and plans to return to school. As she’s grown in her faith, she has also discovered her servant’s heart and wants to help others through a career in nursing or home healthcare.
Yet after losing so much – her childhood innocence and precious daughter – Mary says she’s especially thankful for everyday blessings like a home, a loving family and a Christ-filled church. As she prepares to leave our care, she looks forward to one day being a godly wife and mother who will raise her children to know His love as she does. “I used to see myself as a nobody. Now I see myself as a child of God. One of His precious, precious children.”
