Thank you for giving Lisa a new beginning. 

Because of you, she has joy in her heart this Easter!

Lisa always said she would do anything for her infant daughter. No matter what she had to do or how much it cost, she would do it – until the Department of Child and Family Services took her daughter away because Lisa couldn’t stop using drugs.

“I started smoking marijuana in high school,” she says. “It got to the point where I was using every day. I always thought you couldn’t get addicted to weed, but that’s not true.”

Lisa was 18 when she gave birth to her daughter. She quickly found that work, raising a child, and drugs took a big toll on her, and it just got worse and worse.

“My daughter was only 9 months old when DCFS took her from me,” Lisa says. “I desperately wanted to get her back. I did everything they told me, but I still couldn’t stop using.”

“Whatever happens, I know everything will be OK.”

She tried other recovery programs, but nothing seemed to get at the root of her addiction and help her find a way out of it. So when Lisa became homeless, she turned to drugs to numb her despair. It began to look like the DCFS was going to put her daughter up for adoption. She felt devastated… and afraid.

As a last resort, Lisa came to our Lydia House, where she hoped to get the real help she needed. Lisa began taking classes, attending devotions, studying the Bible and learning about codependency, which she admits she struggles with. Through counseling, she’s discovering more about the root causes of her addiction – and learning new, healthy ways to cope with her emotions.

Because of regular drug testing, she could prove to the DCFS that she was clean – and she was allowed to see her daughter again. Then her faith in God began to grow.

“I’ve learned that God is always working in my life,” she says. “I can honestly say, ‘God, I love you, I trust you, and whatever happens, I know everything will be OK.’”

With Jesus’ love in her heart and hope for the future, Lisa is grateful for your support this Easter. “My plans now are to start working, get my own apartment and get my daughter back. Lydia House is a great place.”

To read the rest of this issue of Rescue Review, click here.