I was done, ready to end everything. All the pain and trauma from my past – nothing had changed.
I stepped into the street as a car drove towards me, about to grant my final wish … but it never came. A stranger pulled me to safety. And in that moment, all I could think about was Anastasia – my 5-year-old daughter.
Processing what just happened, I knew something needed to change. Someone had told me about Phoenix Rescue Mission, so I started with a phone call there. That decision would ultimately bring me the best Christmas present I’ve ever received.
Up until that day, all I had known was pain and trauma. I grew up in a broken home, feeling unwanted and unloved.
One day, when I was 5, I wanted to hang out with my older cousin who was always kind to me. When he said he couldn’t, I got angry and yelled, “I hope you die!”… He died of a drug overdose the next day. I blamed myself and lived with guilt for years.
In high school, my close friends died in a car accident. I turned to drugs to ease my pain, but the losses continued to pile up over the years. I lost relationships. I lost my job. I lost my housing. And then I lost Anastasia to Child Services.
When I was pulled from standing in front of that car, something clicked inside. I committed to getting clean and get my daughter back.
Anastasia was the one thing that made me want to change. I knew the Changing Lives Center would be the place to begin healing.
“The Mission was my last chance. And I have been here ever since.”
Anastasia was the one thing that made me want to change. I knew the Changing Lives Center would be the place to begin healing.
A Holiday Reunion
I arrived at the Mission in the summer of 2022 and began the hard work of recovery. It’s not easy confronting your past and all your wounds, but I knew I had to if I wanted to get Anastasia back. As I worked with the counselors and connected with other women, my heart began to heal.
As Christmas approached, I prayed that God would grant the deepest desire of my heart – to look into my little girl’s eyes again. When Anastasia arrived at the Mission, I will never forget what I felt inside. My heart was whole as I held my Christmas miracle.
“Because of God’s grace and your compassion, I have experienced redeeming love.”
