Mom said one thing, Dad did the opposite.
WHO WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW?

Growing up, Maria always heard two conflicting messages. Mom tried to teach her right from wrong. Dad demonstrated the“wrong,” and exposed Maria to the same. It didn’t take long before Maria gravitated toward the same destructive behavior she learned from her father. By age ten, she was already using drugs and drinking on an addictive basis.

Maria married at age twenty, beginning a new cycle of emotional and physical abuse. Her four kids witnessed their parents fighting and using drugs for years; one even ended up dead, a victim of street violence.

It wasn’t until Maria’s husband left that she sought outside help. But with insufficient commitment, Maria quit rehab, returned to her drug use, and lost everything she had—even custody of her children.

In 2003, Maria stopped by Redwood Gospel Mission for our Great Thanksgiving Banquet. As you know, your support during the holidays helps us prepare an elaborate feast for all of our guests. As a result, Maria was overwhelmed by the love and kindness of our staff and volunteers. And it didn’t take long before she also accepted an invitation to stay at Manna Home.

Upon arrival, Maria threw herself wholeheartedly into our long-term recovery program, and found encouragement and accountability along the way. “I had been to other programs,” she shares. “But how they responded to one another here was different. They were truly caring. The women who prepared devotions taught me how to pray and had everything I wanted to become.” By that, Maria meant a relationship with Jesus.

Through an intensive 12-step program, Maria began to let go of anger and self-centeredness, and stopped pointing fingers. Maria took ownership of her decisions and learned to leave the past behind and walk triumphantly into her new future with God.

Since graduating, Maria has served at The Rose, our emergency shelter for women and children. She loves being with the families, offering them hope and encouragement. Maria is also enrolled at a local adult education program where she is learning computer skills. She’s unsure what God has in store for her future, but she’s taking one day at a time, helping others and working hard in the process.

Aware of your generosity, Maria wants you to know, “You’ve put my whole life together again. Through the Mission, you’ve saved my life and those of many others. I even have a relationship with God, something I only heard about until now.”