Alice

Domestic violence, poverty, drug & alcohol addiction, a broken heart and shattered dreams. That was the reality of my life a few short years ago. The last straw broke when my husband was jailed and Child Protective Services was pounding at my door.

That scared me so much, that I committed myself to Isabella house, an in-patient treatment center for women and children. In treatment, I died to my old life, and began a new one. My son gave me reason to go on. After graduating successfully from Isabella House and the Transitional Living Center, I learned about Habitat for Humanity’s program to get a new house. I had many doubts but I turned in my application for a house anyway. I didn’t think much about it until 2 months later I received a letter saying I was accepted for a Habitat house. Over the next year I really learned a lot about building and maintaining my own home.

I learned about Christ Kitchen not long after that. With my son in school full days, I found my self with extra time on my hands. So, one day I finally got up the courage to go and see what it was all about. I used to think that if I ever walked in the doors of a church, the ceiling would cave in because of my old way of life. So as I walked into Christ Kitchen which was in the church around the corner from my house, I was thinking I was in the wrong place. There were all these women sitting around tables with Bibles in front of them. I always knew there was a God and heaven and hell, but I didn’t know anything about the Bible. So I sat through that first Bible study and I kinda liked it. Afterwards, Sheryl took me by the hand and gave me the easiest job – tying knots. But I kept going back. I just tied knots for months. And…I kept making friends. After a few months, Bev asked me if I’d like to work on the food table and I’ve been there ever since and actually am leading it now. I also am ahead of maintenance at our new building.

I sat through those Bible studies week after week and soaked up all the Lord’s words. The more I learned about the Bible, the more I wanted to learn. It seemed like Jesus crept into my life. I even started going to church on Sundays. Daily I can feel the Lord working in my life at work and at home. I am free. Like my devotion says, “free to give and receive the love of God and free to be a shining light of God’s wisdom and grace right where I am”.

I used to call myself a victim of abuse, but now I call myself a survivor. I’m a saved survivor.


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