“I never thought I was worthy.”
Carol’s father left when she was young, and she always felt the absence of his love. Influenced by those around her who abused alcohol, she began drinking too, believing it filled the void she felt inside. As she grew older, the destructive habit escalated, impacting her health and her relationships with those she loved most.
“When I was drinking, I didn’t care what I said or if I hurt somebody,” she recalls.
Throughout her decades-long struggle with addiction, she’d been hospitalized, undergone multiple detox treatments, and attended AA meetings, but never committed to a long-term program. Finally, she knew if she didn’t change her ways, she would lose her family… or even her very life.
“I came to the conclusion that either I had to get help or I was going to die.”
Elated by her mother’s decision to turn her life around, Carol’s adult daughter encouraged her to seek God and recommended Bridgeport Rescue Mission. Carol had always believed in God, but had never developed a relationship with Him.
In our faith-based New Life Program, she learned she’s worthy of her Father’s love. And as she follows His directive to forgive those who have wronged her, she’s being filled with a sense of peace. “I experience God differently now,” she says. “I hear His voice.”
When Carol graduates from our program, she plans to hold fast to the foundation of her new God-inspired life. She’s rebuilding her family’s trust and she wants to further her education. Now in her 50s, she thought it was too late to change. But with God in her life, “I realize anything is possible.”
Thanks to the blessing of your support this Easter, Carol is celebrating the hope she has found in God. “Before I came to the Mission I was lost. Now I’m getting to know myself much better.”
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