Victoria experienced horrific abuse when she was just six years old. She didn’t tell anyone about it for years and instead tucked her pain deep inside, where it haunted her. At 13, she got her first glimpse of relief when her friend’s uncle invited them to try what he was smoking. Victoria doesn’t remember what it was, but she remembers how it made her feel: numb to the pain she’d been feeling for years, even though she was just a teenager.

“I just remember taking that first hit and that being it for me,” she shares. “It made my mind race to where I wasn’t thinking.” That escape from her life was so alluring that it wasn’t long before she was using cocaine or meth every single day. She stayed trapped in darkness — in a life without hope — for decades. Then, one day, as she looked at her young son, Andres, she knew she wanted to change. “I had always wanted to be a good mom to my kids. I’d always wanted to give them the best childhood. And I never had the skills to do that. I didn’t have any tools. I didn’t have any resources.

Victoria reached out to her brother, who researched the best place she could get treatment. He called her back with a list. The Mission was on the top. “This is the one,” he said. Victoria agreed. She had given her life to Jesus while in jail and knew that the only way she would really heal was with a faith-based, Christ-centered program.

“When we walked to our room and there was a place for Andres and me to be together, and it was a safe place, that’s when I was like, finally, we can start growing. I can start working on this — on us . . . on me. I was ready to do whatever I needed to get better.” For 18 months in LifeChange, Victoria focused on Jesus and let Him guide her steps. She went to classes and counseling, learned parenting techniques, and completed relapse prevention training. The Mission’s caring staff even helped her dig into her childhood trauma so that she could build a new foundation. “I did a lot of digging and forgiving myself for stuff that I had done and put my family through. The counseling helped me become a better me and gave me more confidence in myself. The parenting classes helped me to understand my son.”

After graduating from LifeChange, Victoria stayed with us until she found a job and permanent housing. “The Mission provided transportation for the first couple of weeks of my job and that was a really big help. I saved and purchased my first car ever. Shortly after I got my car, I got my letter from housing saying they had an apartment ready for me. Andres and I moved in September 1st.” Victoria knows that her new life wouldn’t have been possible without friends like you supporting our Women’s and Children’s ministry.

Will you be a life-changer for someone else by sending a gift today? Each $17.64 you give provides a full day of healing for a woman who is making a new start!