Teresa

“I knew if God had brought me this far, He wasn’t going to quit helping me.”

My name is Teresa. I grew up in a very broken home with physically, sexually, and mentally abusive parents.  I was hurting and reached out for help, but when I did I got sent away by own family.  I was lost and broken and didn’t know where my spot was in the world.

I never really had a plan in life.  I searched for love and acceptance in all the wrong places.  I had my first baby at the age of 15 and 2 children by the end of high school.  I ended up with broken relationships and 5 children.  I didn’t really know how to love or care for my children like I should have.  I ended up causing a lot of hurt in their lives because I had never dealt with the pain that I had been holding in myself.

I was always in and out of jail or prison.  When I would get out, I would do something else to go back because I didn’t have a home or any place left to go.  When I was in jail the last time, Miss Kim called out to me in obedience to God and helped me even when others told her not to bother with me.  She had faith in me that I didn’t have in myself.  She showed me love that I didn’t know was real.  That’s because she has God within her.  He’s been teaching me to love more each day. Her church sponsored me to go to a faith-based women’s residential center in Missouri when I was released from jail in July of 2016.  She drove me straight there from jail.  She came to visit me several times during my stay there and we talked on the phone often.  She came to my graduation too.   

After my graduation, I was hired as the Intake coordinator at the women’s center.  I also served as the program director and later the thrift store manager.  I loved helping lead other women who came to the center to the same relationship that I have with God.  I worked and continued to live at the center for 1½ years after my graduation.  I was saving money to pay on my fines, buy a car, send money to help  my kids, and have money to move out on my own with my 2 youngest sons.  

Miss Kim helped me get my identification restored.  When I was arrested, I had nothing but the clothes on my back.  My birth certificate, social security card, driver’s license and everything I had ever had – everything was gone.  Then we worked together to get payment plans set up for my fines in each county where I had charges so I could get my driver’s license back.  It was a long, hard process, but I didn’t give up.  I knew if God had brought me this far, He wasn’t going to quit helping me.  I am still paying on my fines every month (probably will be for a long time), but that’s o.k. I am thankful that I can work to support myself and my kids and pay restitution for my past.  I almost have my child support completely paid back for all the years my kids were cared for by others.  

My greatest regret was the loss of relationship with my children.  When I gave my heart to Jesus, I prayed and prayed for them.  I have all five of my children back in my life, and they are forgiving me.  God has forgiven me and I am forgiving myself.  I have found freedom that I didn’t think was possible.  I have been clean and sober since I was arrested in 2015.  My prayer time with the Lord has saved my life.   I am still growing stronger in God each day.

If you let God, He will do it for you too.  You just have to believe and let down those walls that you have built around yourself and let Him take the wheel.  Thank you for letting me share.

With much love,  Teresa