"In 2014 I was faced with the decision to keep running from an outstanding warrant or to turn myself into jail and face the mess I made of my life. Looking back now, I can see how God placed many people in my life to help foster the decision to turn myself in, and thankfully so. Up to this point in my life, I spent six years of my young adult life addicted to any drug I could get my hands on. I was selling my body for money to buy drugs, and I was homeless, sleeping in abandoned homes. I was in abusive relationships, and I lost my son to Child Protective Services due to the drugs and chronic homelessness. After turning myself into jail I realized I needed to make a change in my life. The drugs, sex, and chaos just doing weren't working anymore and I wanted my life to be different; I wanted my son back, and I began to want Jesus back too. So, I turned to the only thing that was familiar in that dark cold room, the word of God; the Bible. I started reading, and as God spoke to my heart and gently called me to his side, I surrendered my life to him. Following my two-month jail stay, and a two-month rehab stay, my life changed forever when my mom died. God knew how broken I was, and he knew how desperately I needed to be mentored and discipled. He sent me to Praise Chapel and that's when I met for the second time, Mrs. Gail and Pastor Louis. My mom took my sisters and me to Praise Chapel when I was just a child. I never imagined back then how much of an important role they would play in my adult life. Mrs. Gail was the answer to my mother's prayers, to my own prayers as well. She spent over 3 years mentoring me, teaching me the word of God, and teaching me how to be a godly woman. She gave me life skills that to this day continue to help me as a mother and now a wife with a blended family. Her heart for what God was doing in my life, left me with treasures that helped shape me and mold me into the image of Christ. I'm forever thankful for her and I am so blessed to be a part of this journey where God is moving."

"Where was I before I came to the Starfish House? I was broken and ashamed and absolutely defeated. I was the one of 7 missionary kids who never quite seemed to get myself to grow up and mature the “right” way and had completely veered off any road that was honoring the Lord. I became an alcoholic and cocaine and crack addict and continued to enter and stay in unhealthy abusive relationships in which I would also become an abuser. I was angry with God and saw Him as a harsh distant creator who had abandoned me because of my sinful ways. I came to such a low depressed state mentally and I realized that I needed to change. I also quickly recognized I could not do it in the location I was in nor could I do it on my own. I had been given a book a year prior and finally had taken time to read it. The girl who gave it to me wrote her phone number in the front cover and a note saying I could call her if I wanted her second book. Her story shared some hurts of her own and times she had needed assistance as well. I called her and she told me about the Starfish House. Having been given grace and mercy that can only be likened to that which the Lord gives by those who accepted me to come and stay here I have now been sober for just under 5 months. I have gone through a Step-Study called Life's Healing Choices that helped me to take my recovery each step at a time to truly understand the work involved in maintaining it. Also that my help comes from the Lord. I have learned how to meal plan and shop for my food in advance. I have begun to eat healthy meals and work out twice a week. I have paid back some debts, gotten insurance billed for medical bills that were piling up and actually filed my taxes for the second time in my life. I’ve begun learning deeper things about Jesus’ life on earth and who he was in a bible study on Mark led by Marilyn. I have learned to not focus on my or others faults but rather on God and his word and He will see me through. I have learned through Search for Significance who I am in Christ. I learned that I am a new creation of great worth because of Christ’s redemption and so I do not have to sit and wallow in my shame or guilt because my sins were paid for and I am no longer that creature. I was able to get baptized at the beginning of last month as well. I have gone through a Co-dependency study with Anna Marie and learned how to think on my needs and not try to take others feelings or emotions on as my own or feel the need to try and “fix’ others. Each of these things have helped me to begin building back some of my broken relationships with family and those closest to me. I have applied and gone to several classes for dental assistant school. Gail helped me to push through and do each step and gave me wise counsel and Godly advice and insight every step of the way. Each of these things together and more since being here helped me to be able to trust that God had a plan when the scholarship fell through for school and then praise Him and give Him the glory when He provided through so many people giving for me to be able to go still. I thank each of you who has supported the Starfish House and given me a second chance to have a life free from addiction and shame.  I plan to continue to seek God's face and grow in Him and share who He truly is to others as I can through sharing the huge things He has done in my life. I will graduate from dental Assistant school in January. I want to be able to give freely to others as I have received at some point and possibly go overseas as a missionary to tell of God’s huge love for each of us. For now I have so much more to grow and learn and set as healthy habits in my life. I want to thank each and every one of you that has poured love and kindness onto me and been huge examples of God’s character."