My story started out as a good one, only child of two god fearing parents. I grew up in the church. I knew about God, I knew about Jesus. But, to me, that’s all it was. I knew about them but not personally.

My father got sick when I was about eight, and my life completely changed. He developed a hatred to God and everything that pertained to Him. My mom tried to keep me in the church and it worked for a while but by the time I started high school I was far away from God.

My first experience with High School was the summer before my 9th grade year. I opted to do a pre high school summer course to get me prepared. About a week into this I had left class to go to the bathroom and when I went in I was followed in by an older boy. I didn’t know it until it was too late and he had me alone. After that, I kept quiet I didn’t tell anyone. It continued to happen throughout high school.

There was a lot going on in my family life at that point as well. When I found out I was pregnant I didn’t know what to do. My dad and I had been really close even with the change and I told him because he was the one with me. When I did my dad told me I had to hide it. He completely brainwashed me into thinking that if I told anyone, including my mother that I would be disowned. He set up an adoption and after giving birth to a healthy baby girl I did just that. I was so young, 14 years old, I just did whatever he said.

After that I started using drugs for the first time. Little did I know but my dad had also been battling addiction. I used with my dad. Drank a lot. Cut classes. Did a lot of failing. After graduation I moved out and started working at Disney. Once I moved out I stopped using completely. I was working, taking classes in college and had my own apartment. Shortly after that, I started using again with a friend. We started drinking heavily every night and ended up getting back on painkillers. That was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship.

Four years later I ended up living with a pimp and other prostitutes and prostituting near Disney and I Drive to get the drugs that I needed. My drug use was so bad at this point I was injecting drugs into my neck and had no regard for my own life.

I moved back in with my mother and father because my father was on his deathbed and on November 28, 2011, he committed suicide after watching me inject drugs. That was Thanksgiving Day and by December 2, 2011. I was Marchman acted by my mother who didn’t want to lose the both of us.

After three months of involuntary treatment I started using again within hours of leaving rehab. After being hospitalized for liver failure from Hepatitis C I had given myself and throat surgery for an abscess I had given myself from injecting cocaine and heroin into my neck I was hopeless.

I attempted suicide by taking a bottle of pills and when I woke up the next day face first in a bible on the 23rd Psalm I decided enough was enough and had myself committed to the same rehab I had been before. There is where I encountered God for the very first time. I had known God but never understood Him.

One day I was filling out applications for places to go after rehab and a paper application I had been given for New Beginnings (A place I wasn’t interested in going) fell at my lap. For the first time in my life I listened to what He was saying and I acted on it. I moved in on October 17, 2013, went to my first God Encounter the next day and developed a relationship with Him on October 26, 2013, at my first Weekend With The King. I’m happy to say It’s almost three years later and I am still sober, my Hepatitis C is completely gone and I am even closer to God than I ever thought possible and in October I’ll be going on my first missions trip! God is SO good!  

After a lifetime of rejection, abandonment and abuse, I began being self-destructive. I did lots of drugs and got drunk on a regular basis.

 My husband and I had 4 kids and we were falling apart. We knew we needed help and found a church, walked the Isle and gave our lives to Jesus Christ. I can't even explain how our lives turned around it was supernatural really. We both graduated college and everything was going great.

I became a nurse at a pain management clinic and began to be tugged back into the world slowly. Once I started isolating and drifting further before I knew it I was heavily addicted to prescription drugs and again my marriage and life was falling apart worse than before. I ended up on the streets selling my body for my next fix.

I walked away from a beautiful life God had handed me into what I felt like was the pit of hell. I remember many nights crying out to God but was so numbed from the many substances to even hear from Him. I had lost my way just like the prodigal son in Luke. In this time I was raped, beaten, and was severely hit by a car while crossing the road high. I had nobody or nothing, the shoes on my feet were even to big to fit. My husband stopped taking my calls and was sick of the lies.

I was helpless, that's when I believe Jesus came to me at my darkest time, just like the story of the man on the mat for 30 something years, HE said get up and walk. I did I walked right into an AT&T worker and asked him to call 911. This was almost 3 years ago. I remember going into treatment and then when it was finished I was like what now, I knew I needed more time before going home with my family, I wasn't spiritually fit enough, this is when New Beginnings offered me a place to call home to strengthen my walk with God and become a disciple a woman after God's heart. And that is exactly what happened. 

 This ministry helped me grow into who Christ called me to be and equipped me with Biblical tools and support necessary to take on the world. After graduating from the ministry I was reunited with my family and I truly don't think this would have been possible without New Beginnings, because I was not ready after treatment, I needed the healing and love poured into me from this ministry.

 On October 3, 2016, I will have 3 years free from every mind altering substance including nicotine. I don't have too look back often unless it's to help others up, because when

The Son sets us free we are free indeed! John 8:36

Love you all

My move to Florida was for me to get a New Beginning in my life. I had suffered from three bouts of cancer and other serious health issues, and the cold was getting harder to tolerate, especially the ice and snow. My daughter and son in law offered for me to move in with them and theirfamily. However, after a year with them, our housing situation changed.They were needing to move which meant I needed somewhere to go aswell. I began checking with the Senior Housing here in Orlando.Unfortunately, my income limited my options dramatically. Thankfully even though my funds were limited God showed me my use to HisKingdom was not being used.I knew about New Beginnings. I met Ginny Biggs on my first visit to seemy children here in Orlando several years before I actually moved here.We clicked immediately! My daughter had shared New Beginningsministry with me even before I met Ginny. As a former single welfaremother and low-income utility advocate, I know many of the issues facingwomen who are in the dire circumstances that bring them to Our program.My three children and I were once homeless. God used my lifeexperiences to help me professionally as a community organizer andadvocate to work on issues, such as affordable utilities and housing, forand with families in similar life circumstances. I have been on numerousboards and committees at local, state, and national levels. I’ve worked onlegislation at all levels of government to aid families through assistanceprograms. So, here I am, needing a solution to my own housing problemwhen Ginny came to me and offered me a position as the housing monitor at the new location for the House of Grace. I know it was God answeringmy needs to be able to give back and help women who are coming in hurt,dejected, unloved, bruised and battered. Daily I am able to pour the love of my savior into the women in these homes.New Beginnings has been a wonderful blessing to me. I can truly say I love this ministry with all my heart. I feel that God has said my daughter I need you now in a different and even more important role. I need you todisciple my daughters as they come to the House of Grace for shelter, forsafety, for starting new lives grounded in Jesus Christ. It is a privilege tobe a part of New Beginnings. Little did I know when I first came herealmost two years ago, my new beginning would literally be tied to NewBeginnings! What a God we serve!

A lady who was on heavy drugs came to New Beginnings through Calvary Transitional Ministry. She has lived with us since October and was hard hearted to the core. She has since been loved on so much that the heart of stone has turned into a heart of flesh. New Beginnings introduced her to  her Life Coach. The ladies lives have turned around. She has given her testimony and has signed up for the Women’s Encounter in March 2014

Mother and 15 year old daughter reunited. They have an apartment living together and working things out regarding being a better mother and daughter. The mother is attending parenting classes at Church in the Son and getting additional parenting classes through other agencies in Orange County. The mother has been introduced to her Life Coach.

Mother and teen daughter reunited. The daughter lived with her mother at the Nicole Attwood House for awhile. It was evident that the daughter and mother had to work out some issues. The daughter is currently in the House of Hope and at first was extremely rebellious and wascompletely out of hand. The daughter cursed God and said she hated him and would not open her heart to anyone. The women at the Nicole House were inspired by God to fast and pray in December.  We continued to fast and pray through the remaining of December and into January. The middle of January the breakthrough came. The daughter surrendered her life to Jesus. Even though she is still at the House of Hope, she has graduated to the next level of the program. The mother is sharing an apartment with a friend, attending Church in the Son and has her son attending as well. Last Sunday the son brought a friend to Church in the Son who went to the altar.