She Was Surviving, Not Living

From the outside, it looked like Raquel was holding everything together.

She was a single mother raising two boys. She worked hard, paid the bills, served in ministry, and encouraged the people around her.

Raquel was used to being the one everyone else could depend on.

“I was always taking care of everyone else, but I wasn’t taking care of my own heart.”

Privately, Raquel was struggling with drinking. She wanted to stop. She tried to stop. But she could not do it on her own.

For years, she kept pushing forward in her own strength while burying emotions she did not know how to face.

Looking back, Raquel can see what was really happening beneath the surface.

The Gift of Time

When Raquel came to Hoving Home, she hoped God would change the circumstances surrounding her.

Instead, He began changing something much deeper.

At Hoving Home, Raquel received a safe place to stay, counseling, God’s Word, loving community, and something she desperately needed:

Time.

Time to stop drinking.

Time to face the emotions she had buried.

Time to renew her mind and allow God to heal her heart.

For so long, Raquel had focused on caring for everyone else. At Hoving Home, she finally had the opportunity to slow down and pay attention to what was happening inside her.

“I came to Hoving Home hoping God would change my circumstances. Instead, He changed my heart, and that changed everything.”

Learning to Be Still

Healing did not happen all at once.

Raquel began receiving counseling and learning how to apply God’s Word to the places in her life that still hurt. She worshiped, prayed, built genuine friendships, and discovered that she did not have to carry everything alone.

She also began learning to slow down.

That was not easy for someone who had spent years constantly moving, caring for others, and trying to stay ahead of what she was feeling.

But little by little, Raquel stopped running.

She learned that healing was not only about leaving alcohol behind. It was also about allowing Jesus into the places she had tried to ignore.

More Than a Canoe Ride

Raquel had never been canoeing before.

Growing up in the city, she had not spent much time surrounded by mountains, trees, and open water. She did not know what to expect or whether she would even enjoy it.

But as she sat quietly on the river, something happened.

Raquel listened to the birds. She looked at the mountains. She took in the beauty of God’s creation.

And for the first time in a long time, she was completely present.

She was not trying to numb what she felt.

She was not rushing through the day or simply trying to survive.

She was enjoying the life God had given her.

It may have looked like an ordinary afternoon, but for Raquel, it represented something much bigger.

God was teaching her how to live again.

Finding Joy in Ordinary Moments

Later, Raquel painted with watercolors without worrying about making everything perfect.

That moment mattered too.

For years, so much of her life had been about responsibility, pressure, and trying to hold everything together. Now she was discovering the freedom to create, laugh, rest, and enjoy the moment in front of her.

These simple experiences became evidence of the deeper work God was doing in her heart.

Raquel was no longer moving through life disconnected from herself and the people around her. She was learning to receive the peace, beauty, and joy God had placed within her reach.

“You didn’t just provide a place to stay. You gave me the gift of time.”

That time made healing possible.

It gave Raquel space to receive counseling, renew her mind through God’s Word, build lifelong friendships, and become the woman God created her to be.

Enjoying the Life God Has Given Her

Today, Raquel’s life looks different.

She laughs. She worships. She reads, hikes, paints, and builds genuine friendships. She dreams about her future and the meaningful work God may have for her.

She looks forward to pouring into her sons and making new memories with them.

The woman who once spent each day simply trying to hold everything together is now learning to enjoy her life.

Raquel also hopes to use her story to help other women believe that healing is possible.

She knows firsthand how easy it can be to appear strong while quietly struggling inside. She wants other women to know they do not have to keep running, hiding, or trying to overcome addiction alone.

There is help.

There is healing.

And through Jesus, there is a life beyond survival.

Her Story Reaches Beyond Her

Raquel’s transformation is changing more than her own future.

It is shaping the way she loves her sons, the relationships she is building, and the encouragement she will offer other women.

“Your generosity doesn’t just change one woman’s life. It changes her children, her family, and every person she will encourage in the future.”

Her story is a reminder that when one woman receives the time and care she needs to heal, the impact continues into every life she touches.

God did not simply change Raquel’s circumstances.

He renewed her mind, healed her heart, and taught her how to live again.

“I’m not just surviving anymore. I’m enjoying the life God has given me.”

A GLIMPSE OF RAQUEL’S JOURNEY