Stories of Hope: Testimonies from real clients

I was scared to die alone...

Dewanna

PictureDewanna shares who she became with Christ.
I was sentenced to 15 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). I was alone with no family and would die alone here, in prison. I was paroled out of prison and within 3 months, I lost a dear friend to his drug addiction. I watched him suffering in the hospital with no one there who cared. I knew that would be me if I did not do something different with my life. That is when I went through the process to be accepted to Patsy’s Place Transitional Home. I was accepted into the yearlong program, but I didn’t believe that anything could change the only life I ever knew. The first time I heard God’s voice, all I could do was cry. I knew then that I was exactly where God wanted me to be. I was loved by God and everybody around me. God has given me sobriety, a family who cares that I’m alive and a job that I love, working at Patsy’s Place. Most importantly, I have the best relationship I could ever want with Jesus Christ. Amazing. Who knew that I could be this person who “God knew?”  
I want to thank you for my Life Recovery Bible. It has helped me immensely. I read it each and every day. As a result, my relationship with God has become more intimate. Thank you so much for helping me and sending me this precious Bible. ~Stephanie, Gadsden Corr. Fac.
I want to thank you so much for the Bible. I love it plus it got delivered on Christmas Eve, making it that much more a gift. What you provide for us is freedom from inside these walls and we really can't ask for more. I was lucky enough to be reborn in county and freed from the prison that was my daily life. God saved me from myself and has now provided me with the hope that I had once lost. ~Inmate in Arizona
We read a Bible study and talk about God every day! We have a great time helping each other and supporting each other through our trials. Praise God for the support. We love having our Bibles! Be blessed. ~The Women of Potter Co. Jail

The hardest thing to do was forgive.

Ashley

PictureThis is just one of the many letters from women discovering freedom through Christ and forgiveness.
Forgiveness can sometimes be difficult, especially when something so terrible happened to you that it changes your emotions allowing fear to dominate, changes your sense of security and changes YOU as an individual. One of the ways I have become willing to forgive is reading God's word about forgiveness and realizing how God has forgiven me. We are all sinners and all fall short at times, but we can have hope that all will be forgiven because of God's grace, unconditional love and his Son who died to make us clean again, in the sight of God. After I learned this, the way I was able to forgive was viewing the people who hurt me as being lost, just as I was.
"Make allowance for each others faults, and forgive all who offend you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (Colossians 3:13)
It can be hard to forgive but forgiveness isn't saying that what they did to you was okay. Forgiveness is letting it go and saying that it no longer has power over you. It's saying: "I am free."