Ashley – 2014 Graduate

When I was nine years old, my parents got divorced. My sense of safety and security was gone. Then when I was 17, a member of my church raped me. I began to drink and use drugs as a way to cope. eventually landed in a hospital from an overdose. One week later, I found out I was pregnant. Although I tried to get an abortion, I’m thankful God intervened to prevent it. My daughter was born with major health issues and the day she was released from the hospital, my grandmother died. The stress of trying to take care of a sick child while trying to grieve my grandmother’s death fueled my addiction. I tried a detox center but was told “once an addict always an addict,” and continued to drink after I got out—to the point where my daughter was taken away from me by social services for neglect. I went to drug and alcohol classes, but my addiction only progressed. One day, I finally broke and went back into a treatment center.

Around that time someone from church told me about Mercy. I applied because I knew my addiction controlled every aspect of my life, and I could not handle it anymore. I wanted to be free from bondage. When I arrived at Mercy, I was almost two months sober. I was ready to do whatever it took to change my life. I wanted to be a new person and I knew that God was the only one who could help me.

I saw breakthrough when I finally told my counselor about being raped when I was 17. That brought so much freedom to bring that to the light. I had kept it in the darkness for so long, and it held me in bondage. Once I talked about it, I found freedom.

At Mercy, God renewed my mind, heart and soul. I am a completely different person. I look at life through new eyes now. I didn’t have any boundaries before, but now I know how to have healthy boundaries. God renewed the desire in my heart to be a mother to my beautiful daughter. I am so thankful to God for the amazing work He has done in my life. I see now that no substance or man can fill the void in my heart. Jesus, my Lord and Savior, is the only One who can fill that void for me.

After graduation, I am excited to go home and be a mother to my daughter. I can’t wait to give her the life she deserves. I will also go back to college to finish my business degree, and then pursue a psychology degree.

I am so thankful that I was provided the opportunity to spend six months somewhere to intensively focus on God. I didn’t have to worry about the other cares of the world, just finding healing. My life is transformed, and I am a new creation in Christ Jesus!