I was thrilled to see The Huffington Post give mention to a few of our moms at the Rescue Mission in light of Mother’s day this past weekend. These are the stories that I always hope to see flooding the media; stories that honor and celebrate boldly beautiful and brave mothers striving to redeem their pasts.
Most of the mothers that come to the Rescue Mission have known defeat, suffering, struggle, loss and have fought their way out of these depths. As they encounter God and and humbly ask for help, we see a new sensitivity, an understanding of life that fills them with hope and drive to know a new life and eventually to use their stories to help others journeying through similar struggles.
The Huffington Post beautifully captured Pepper and Crystal, two of our moms in the midst of their stories toward becoming better mothers to their children.

Pepper, her husband Sam and son, Mason

For Pepper Hale, Sunday’s been a long timing coming.
After a difficult childhood, battles with drug use and years spent in and out of jail, Pepper is looking forward to the first Mother’s Day where she’ll actually be able to celebrate being a mother.
“There’s nothing worse than not being with your kid on Mother’s Day,” she said.
Now 39-years-old, Pepper remembers growing up in Huntington Beach with her parents. She recalls opening up the refrigerator and finding shelves of beer but no food. The first person in her family to graduate from high school, she immediately moved out on her own, steering clear of drugs and booze after seeing what it did to her parents and brother, who all later died of alcoholism.
That all changed after her car accident. She became caught in a spiral of using drugs — and, later, selling them — to try to provide for her first son, Cade, now 14.
“He knew if I didn’t show up to pick him up from school that I was in jail,” she said.
Pepper met Sam, became pregnant with now 10-month-old Mason, and was released in time to have the baby. It was then that she vowed that things were going to be different. Soon after, Pepper and Sam moved to the Orange County Rescue Mission to begin a better life together.
READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE
*article by Huffington Post writer Helaina Hovitz 

Crystal and her son DeAndre.