Read Stories 

February 25, 2010

Two of our ladies graduated from our recovery program on December 31st and we celebrated the occasion with music, a special speaker and the presentation of certificates and medallions. We had a full house of supporters for the ladies and it was an impressive way to end the old year and bring in the new!

Two of our graduates shared with the crowd assembled. Here’s what they had to say.

Dez says:

“I can’t begin to express how lost, confused and hopeless I felt before I walked in these doors. Since I was a small child I felt that I was a mistake and wished I had never been born – in fact I thought of suicide even then.

Throughout my teenage years I tried to find myself in drugs, alcohol and guys. I ended up in very abusive relationships and because I felt like an outcast I was distant with my family. In spite of being a single mom at 16, I struggled through school and eventually graduated … but addiction was now a part of my life.

I connected to a church and met some very good people who helped me so much but I always fell back into a life of destruction. By age 19 I had another son and was drinking and drugging as much as ever. Then I lost both my children to social services, lost a really good friend and a brother was killed.

It was at this crucial time in my life that God placed Lydia Home in my path. I did not know whether or not they could help me dig out of my darkness.

It turned out God has given me a second chance. This place has changed my life and given me hope. In the last four months I have learned to love myself because I was so loved while here. I can now accept the fact that I was once a victim but can now have victory over my future. I know God created me for a reason. I have gained love and family in this house and will never stop being grateful for that. Lydia Home helped to transform my mind, body and soul.

How can I ever thank you all enough for having a home like this for women like me.  You gave me hope and I want to include this poem which describes me:

As a little girl I cried myself to sleep with only a pillow case to wipe my eyes,
not knowing that my nightmares had already begun and I did not know the whys.
Sometimes sitting in the snow on a cold winter night wishing that God would take my little life but he saved me instead – He and I were not finished yet.
I kept hoping my life would change but there was so much hurt and pain that I thought addiction was the best I could gain.
I tried and tried to run the race by myself only to find I needed an about-face!
Where was I – the darkness lived so close-by – was all hope lost?
No, there was Lydia Home waiting for me – no longer do I feel cold fear, no longer does death seem near – in fact,
No more dead end – God is now my closest friend.”

Another graduate, Carley, shared the following:

“I was spiritually and emotionally bankrupt before I came to Lydia Home. I also felt quite strongly that I would not live much longer as my health was deteriorating fast. I was trapped in a downward spiral of poor choices that were leading me further and further into hopelessness and despair. I knew this was not God’s plan for my life.

At Lydia Home, I have learned that I am not a victim but can be a victor through Christ along with continual work on my thoughts and behaviors. One of the most important things I learned was that I need to take responsibility for my own actions and the effects they have on others as well as on myself.

Today I am aware that God’s plans for me are for good and that I need to follow Him closely. I look forward to being a better mother to my two children. Thank you all for what you have given me!”

Frieda Buchner,
Manager Lydia Home