Angela’s Story

When I was young. There was a lot of chaos, a lot of hurt, and I learned early how to survive instead of how to be healthy. By the time I was a teenager, I was already out of the house most nights, just trying to find somewhere to belong. That’s when I was introduced to drugs, and what started as something to take the edge off quickly became something I depended on.

Over the years, my life became a pattern of trying to get it together and then falling back again. I had five children along the way, and I love each of them deeply, but I wasn’t always the mother I wanted to be. There were seasons where I was doing well – working, staying clean, keeping a home together – but those seasons didn’t always last. I would slip back into old habits, into relationships that weren’t ideal, into trying to cope instead of truly healing.

At one point, I lost two of my children to adoption through the foster system while I was in prison. That’s something I carry with me. I also have other children who are being raised in different situations, and by the grace of God, I’ve been able to rebuild relationships with them all over time. That has meant everything to me. It’s one of the reasons I keep fighting to move forward.

Drugs were about escaping. They gave me a way out—at least for a little while. But the truth is, it always came back. Everything I was trying to avoid was still there, waiting on me, and usually worse than before. There were times I found myself living in motels, just trying to make it. I got used to surviving. It wears on you. It wears down your hope.

Eventually, everything caught up with me again. When my baby was born, there were drugs in his system. That’s when DSS got involved again, and I knew something had to change. I chose to come to Abba’s House. This isn’t my first time here. And I can say honestly that this time the difference isn’t something in the program. It’s me. The first times I came, I wasn’t ready. The staff loved me, supported me, made sure I had what I needed, but I hadn’t fully surrendered. I was still holding on to my own way of doing things. But even when I wasn’t ready, they never gave up on me. Even when I wasn’t in the program, they would check on me. They would answer my calls. There were moments when I was in a really dark place, and I didn’t know who else to reach out to. They were there. They spoke truth to me, they calmed me down, and they reminded me that I didn’t have to stay where I was.

This last time, I finally said, “I’m done.” I packed my things, went to detox, and then I came back here. I’ve been back for almost three months, and for the first time – the very first time, I’m finishing things I start. I’ve completed my emotional wellness class, and now I’m working toward finishing my GED. That may not sound like much to some, but for me, it’s huge. I’ve never followed through like this before.

More than that, I’m changing the way I think. I used to react to everything. I had no filter. I’m learning to slow down, to think, to take inventory of what’s really going on inside of me. The staff here sit down with me, help me plan, and help me process. They don’t just tell me what I want to hear—they tell me what I need to hear. There’s love here, but there’s also truth. And I’ve come to understand that I need both.

My relationship with God has changed too. I grew up around church, but that’s different from actually knowing Him. This time, things became real. Through the teaching, the conversations, the quiet moments, I’ve started to build a real relationship with Jesus. And that’s made all the difference. When I think about Abba’s House, a few words come to mind: love, growth, and a future.