When you are trapped in addiction, oftentimes it takes extreme circumstances to awaken you to the desperate and hopeless realities of your situation.
It was only when they hit their absolute rock bottom that Sarah and Edgar finally admitted drugs were wrecking their lives.
Homelessness wasn’t new to Sarah, who left home at 18 to be with her boyfriend and get high. Looking back, she understands that she used methamphetamines and alcohol because, in her childhood home, substance abuse was the accepted way to cope with sadness, stress, grief and loss.
I was trying to fill a void,” Sarah says. “I didn’t have love at that time. I didn’t want to feel pain of any sort. It got to where we couldn’t function without drugs. Edgar and I had a toxic relationship fueled by drugs.”
But it was at their lowest point, when County Protective Services threatened to take their daughter, that Sarah and Edgar realized that drugs weren’t worth destroying their family. From their makeshift home in a car, they searched for shelters. Finally, they found the Village of Hope, where the entire family was joyfully welcomed.
“Everything the program offered, we needed,” Sarah notes. “I was excited. Finally, after everything we’d been through, we were ready to change.”
At the Village of Hope, Sarah and Edgar were equipped to get to the heart of what caused their lives to spin out of control, heal what addiction had made numb, and be restored as a family. The skills they learned, like open communication, helped strengthen expressions of love in their family. Healthy habits, such as church attendance and counseling sessions, nurtured their love for God.
“We pray for each other,” Sarah says, “and we don’t call each other names. How are you going to stay mad at someone you’ve just prayed for? We cherish each other.”
Edgar also thrives in his newfound role of a good provider. “The Village of Hope has helped us to have trust in God and each other,” he says. “We wanted a better life for our family. Now we have faith in God. He is the center of attention. The Village of Hope has brought back the joy and happiness I lost because of addiction.”
Both Edgar and Sarah are now working full time and are graduates of the Village of Hope program. They have transitioned to on to one of our Hope Family Housing low-income housing complexes where they are putting into practice skills like budgeting and money management as they save to transition on to complete self-sufficiency. They have welcomed another child, a beautiful baby boy, and are now confident and hopeful for their family’s future.
Thank you for giving families like Sarah and Edgar’s a chance at hope and restoration!
