Angeline refers to it as generational trauma. Her parents and her grandparents all suffered from addiction. At 10 years old she was given her first beer. At 12 years old her mother handed her and her brother over to children’s services saying that she couldn’t handle them anymore.

Sadly, for more than 20 years Angeline endured addiction and abuse. When she had periods of sobriety she thrived, but something always drew her back into the darkness of addiction.

After spending the winter on the streets in Billings Montana, something changed. To escape the bad influences in Montana, Angeline enrolled in short-term recovery in NW Oregon. In that recovery center she started a relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, after leaving the recovery center she found herself back with the same people into the same addictive behaviors. Then one day she heard from some friends about Union Gospel Mission’s LifeChange for Women and Their Children and how it had changed their lives. LifeChange is a long-term Christ based recovery community in Beaverton Oregon, for women and their children that offers recovery and housing for up to 18 months.

“what I’m doing here is breaking that curse, and it stops in my generation!”

Since being at UGM’s LifeChange Angeline has thrived. She has been reunited with her two daughters and is getting to the root of her addictive behaviors through counseling and biblical guidance. “It’s been wonderful seeing the positive impact the program has had upon my daughters…they now have hope,” said Angeline. “The thing that I appreciate the most about LifeChange is that my children are intertwined and included in my recovery.”

Angeline explains, “Addiction and abuse have been in my family since my great grandparents, but what I’m doing here is breaking that curse, and it stops in my generation! It’s all going to pay-off when I see that my grandchildren will never have to face the fear that comes with abuse or addiction.”

“I hope to go to school for drug and alcohol counseling,” said Angeline. “So that I can take what I learned here and take it back to the people on the reservations in Montana, to let them know that someone cares.”

If you know of a woman battling addiction, homelessness, or domestic abuse and she is interested in a life change, contact LifeChange for Women and Their Children at 503-802-2271.