Katie will never forget playing outside of her home as a little girl and hearing that still small voice of the Lord.
She was only six years old, but she vividly remembers accepting the grace of God that day.
As she got older and struggled in school, Katie began allowing what other people thought of her to form her identity. She discovered talents in singing and acting, so the stage became her home away from home.
After moving to New York City to perform, Katie caved to pressures to look a certain way, be a certain dress size, and seek the approval of any audience. To keep up appearances, an eating disorder progressed to an addiction to cocaine.
After her boyfriend died unexpectedly, Katie acted like everything was okay. But deep inside, her heart and faith were shattered.
In a moment of providence, when traveling home to see her parents one weekend, Katie’s mom washed her pants and discovered Katie’s secret. Katie had to come clean and truly wanted to get well. So, her parents drove her to Hoving Home.
“There’s something about that place,” Katie shared about driving up to our Home.
Eager to rekindle the faith of a child, Katie opened her heart to the structure, schedule, and expectations of the Hoving Home program.
“It was perfect for me,” she shares. Not only did Katie find purpose beyond performance, she was reintroduced to the Jesus she met as a little girl.
After finishing our year-long program and becoming our very first Emerging Leaders graduate, Katie was able to return to the stage with a new identity in Christ. She met a wonderful husband, and they have two beautiful children.
She knows it would be impossible if not for Hoving Home.
“I love who I am!” she affirms.
“Every life is so important,” Katie expresses. “Every single penny given to Hoving Home goes to help the life of someone else. Nothing in my life is as important as the time I had there.”
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Growing up, Emily’s family didn’t pray or talk about God.
Her mother had lupus and other debilitating health challenges, leaving Emily feeling sad, lonely, and many times afraid for her mom. She vividly remembers one time as a little girl walking into her mom’s room to find her unresponsive, unsure how to help or what to do.
As she got older, heartbreakingly, Emily turned to drugs to escape the pressures she felt at home.
From her teens to early adulthood, Emily became a functioning addict. She enrolled in college and worked a full-time job, all while enslaved to addiction. God even spared her life multiple times after overdosing.
God was working in Emily’s heart, even though nobody had really told her about Him. Deep inside, Emily knew she needed help, or she’d end up dead.
The only thing Emily hadn’t tried was a Christian program.
She called her aunt, the only Christian she knew in her family, for advice. Her aunt got in touch with Hoving Home, opening a new door in Emily’s story of redemption.
Without a churched background, Emily didn’t know the Bible or the “vocabulary” of Christianity. It was a difficult transition at Hoving Home, and many times, she felt out of place. But Emily was desperate for a transformed life!
At Hoving Home, she spent hours studying God’s Word to meet Jesus for herself, which radically changed Emily’s heart.
God also answered Emily’s most earnest plea—to be free from her addiction. Over the months at Hoving Home, God showed Emily His plans for her life. It wasn’t to escape the hard things in her own life. It was to serve the people around her with the hope she received from God!
During her time in our program, Emily worked under the guidance of Sue Hinton, our former Intake Coordinator, and learned the process of welcoming women in crisis into our home for the first time.
Today, Emily is the kind voice on the other end of our phone, compassionately listening to cries for help and calmly directing women toward the next step. After Sue retired, Emily took over the role as Intake Coordinator at Hoving Home!
Emily’s loving husband and three precious children keep her encouraged and strong at home. God has also restored Emily’s relationship with her mom along the way. Emily continues to help her mother with her health challenges, now from a place of compassion and understanding.
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Amberlee grew up going to church. Home life with mom and dad was stable until her grandfather died and her parents subsequently divorced. She stopped going to church—or thinking about God.
Amberlee looked for acceptance through relationships, even abusive ones, and started using painkillers to numb her sadness.
She’d jump to new relationships hoping for change but end up in the same vicious cycle of addiction. Along the way, God blessed Amberlee with three children, but she wasn’t in any condition to care for them.
Rock bottom came when Amberlee was arrested for stealing to buy drugs. By God’s grace, Amberlee learned about Hoving Home in jail.
In the height of the pandemic, Amberlee came to our doors, ready for change.
“I literally feel like I gained my soul back,” Amberlee expresses. “It was beaten down so bad.”
Amberlee finally had space to address the root causes of her addiction and move toward healing with Christ at the center.
“I didn’t know you could have a relationship with God,” Amberlee shares. “Now, Jesus is my hope and guidance through life.
Today, Amberlee is a Hoving Home graduate and works at Unshattered, a sister ministry. She’s learning marketable job skills and growing in her confidence and purpose.
After a difficult past of losing custody of her children, Amberlee is patiently awaiting God’s timing in rebuilding relationships with her children. She knows it will take time to regain trust, but believes the Lord will open hearts at the right time.
As she awaits, Amberlee is giving her whole heart to the Lord.
Amberlee joins the Hoving Home outreach, evangelizing to stay rooted in her own story and give back in ways others have given to her.
“I am grateful for the people who showed me the love of Jesus,” Amberlee shares. “Even if people who give to Hoving Home don’t realize it, their support changes every girl in that Home in a great way.”
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Growing up, Mariah went to church, Sunday school, church camp, you name it. She was actively involved in learning about Jesus as a little girl.
When adolescence hit, Mariah remembers a dark cloud coming over her life.
She felt it during bullying experiences at school. Internally, a gradual wave of depression crept in, leading Mariah to doubt her worth … or even her desire to exist.
Mariah attempted suicide for the first time at the tender age of 13.
Mariah went from self-harm to complete self-destruction through excessive drinking, progressive drug use, and eventually prostitution.
Multiple times, Mariah thought she should be dead, but God continued to spare her life. She didn’t think she would live past 18.
A wake-up call finally came when a man planning to purchase Mariah for a “job” saw her, emaciated, bruised, and scarred, and said, “I’m not paying for this.”
But Jesus was willing to pay the ultimate price to redeem Mariah’s life!
In an act of providence, one of Mariah’s childhood best friends gave her information about Hoving Home. Mariah courageously weaned off her drugs and medication prior to coming. And when she did, God welcomed Mariah with open arms.
When Mariah joined our program, she was overwhelmed by the freedom to learn who Jesus truly is. She soaked up time in the Word. She prayed with women when her past haunted or triggered her. She prayed for God’s protection when the spiritual warfare raged in her heart and mind. Like He does, God answered and delivered!
It’s been over 10 years since Mariah graduated from Hoving Home!
In a true act of rescue, the Lord has taken Mariah’s brokenness and turned it into ministry to others. She started working for a partner ministry and visited Africa on mission trips multiple times. She even wrote a book about God saving her life!
Today, Mariah is married to a wonderful Christian man, and they have four precious children. God has truly brought beauty from ashes in Mariah’s life – and she is eager and obedient to share His work in her life!
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Autumn came to our doors almost two years ago after her husband died by suicide.
Horrifically, their oldest of four kids found him. She was only five.
Autumn was already intimately familiar with suffering, having endured horrific physical and sexual abuse as a child. She learned at an early age to numb any pain she felt. So she handled her husband’s death the way she would any other trauma … desensitizing herself with drugs.
“I didn’t have time to process my grief,” she recalls. “I honestly never knew I needed to heal.”
Then one night, Autumn was at a crossroads.
Her friend gave her a handful of pills. But instead of spiraling to rock bottom, God’s Spirit took root.
Seeds of faith planted in Autumn’s heart as a little girl began to grow straight through her heavy drug use, through the pain she’d endured, through the dysfunctional ways she coped.
Shortly after her prayer, Autumn saw a post for Hoving Home on social media.
She called, shared her story, and for the first time in our history, we invited a mom with four children to our Lioness and the Lamb Home.
Even though she didn’t know how she’d get to New York from the Midwest, God worked out those details for Autumn, too. One grandmother helped her move her belongings into storage, and another grandmother purchased plane tickets for Autumn and her children!
While staying at our Home was an adjustment, “They loved us through it,” Autumn shares. “My kids were mean, they didn’t sit at meals, but the people at Hoving Home poured grace and love into our lives.”
For the first time in her life, Autumn was allowed to heal and simply sit with God’s love.
Last Christmas, Autumn and her beautiful children were able to experience the true joy of Christ coming to earth to rescue, save, and redeem! It was the first Christmas Autumn remembers being sober.
“I was present,” Autumn shares of spending Christmas with her children. And because their mama was present, Autumn’s sweet children’s eyes lit up at seeing their mom at her very best, truly the way God intended. Even if they aren’t old enough to articulate it, they are proud, they feel secure, and there is joy and peace in their hearts!
“I am thankful to Hoving Home, because they provided a safe place for my family to come heal and restore and find hope and life,” Autumn shares.
What a beautiful Christmas miracle for this special family!
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Ladies come to Hoving Home from varied backgrounds and upbringings.
While many endured trauma and abuse as children, others grew up in healthy, loving homes and encountered brokenness later in life.
For Terra, she remembers a wonderful, Christian home.
“I was very blessed,” she shares. “I went to vacation Bible school, summer camps, and church.” Her parents were very attentive and involved in her life and growth.
But during her teen years, Terra experienced what many of her peers felt—a desire to rebel.
Terra felt acceptance from young people who did recreational drugs, which opened the door to destructive choices and behaviors.
“Coming from a structured home, I went full-time partying in college,” Terra shares. “I failed out. And that experience launched me to destroying my life.”
Terra’s hard drug use turned into addiction.
Because of the faith her parents instilled in her as a child, Terra knew deep down that freedom would only be found in Christ. But her addition left her completely powerless. So she told her parents about her drug use!
Terra wasn’t quite ready for help, but her mom knew what to do in the meantime. She started a fervent prayer chain for her daughter!
“It didn’t take much longer, and God changed my heart,” Terra remembers.
Terra finally came to Hoving Home in 1996! Even though she knew about Jesus, she fell in love with Him at Hoving Home. “It was such a gift in my life to be immersed in everything God!”
Terra blossomed spiritually and gained the life skills, and character-building training she needed. She worked with us as an intern and eventually served in missions, where she met her husband.
Today, Terra and her husband serve together as youth pastors as they raise their four boys and teach them what Terra learned as a little girl—that God loves them and will answer their prayers for their good.
“All of us live in a painful world and there are so many ways we can deal with the pain. We can cover it, ignore it, or think we cope with it,” Terra explains. “But the truth is God is the only one who can really touch that void we have. Hoving Home gives women the opportunity to break off lies and find truth and heal. God is the miracle worker.”
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Maria’s past is difficult enough to write. One can only imagine living it.
Maria’s parents were teenager when she was born. But they also suffered from episodes of domestic violence.
Maria entered foster care where trauma continued through molestation. Maria’s grandparents fought for custody and won, but so much damage had been done. Her memories of violence in the home went everywhere with her. It was difficult to get out of her mind.
“As a little girl, I didn’t feel like I belonged. I always felt empty and overlooked,” Maria expresses. “I grew up envying girls with their mother. During my teen years, I looked for attention from guys.”
Unhealthy friendships led to smoking and drug use. And when Maria was 16, she became a mom.
Maria got married and had more children. For a time, she lived a stable life. But since she never healed from her past, it resurfaced in various ways—and everything she had was taken away.
Like water running through her hands, Maria lost everything.
Maria was homeless for two years. Her despair turned to anger which turned to violence and time in prison. But in her lowest moment, she gained clarity.
“I surrendered my life to the Lord and begged God to give me a chance to be a mom again. I didn’t want to die an addict. I didn’t want my kids to know me this way!”
God faithfully and abundantly answered Maria’s prayers.
Upon parole, Maria went to Hoving Home, eager to grab hold of the only thing that could fill her nagging void—Jesus.
“I was so hard to love, but the staff was so patient with me,” Maria adds. “Little by little, my walls lowered, and I felt safe enough to open up.”
Maria opened her heart in parenting and anger management classes and welcomed God’s Spirit leading her forward!
Through time, prayer, and healing, Maria graduated from Hoving Home, became an intern, then a facilities director, then an education director!
After so much heartache in their past, Maria also made amends with all her children!
“I am thankful to Hoving Home for loving me and showing me what the love of Christ truly is,” Maria shares. “They taught me structure. They taught me values. It’s truly been a miracle.”
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Shawna’s feelings of emptiness and fear started early in life.
When her dad abandoned the family, Shawna was just a little girl. Even though mom was home, Shawna vividly remembers her mother battling substance abuse, never able to provide a stable presence for her daughter.
As Shawna grew up, she searched for love and acceptance everywhere she could! She tried relationships, drugs, and alcohol. They only ended in heartbreak and dangerous behavior.
Shawna tried learning more about faith and becoming a mom. But the peace and security of Jesus eluded her. From abusive relationships to entanglement in a biker gang and stalking, Shawna never felt safe.
Her plunge into despair and drug use only got worse. And she was taking her precious children with her.
Shawna’s drug abuse put her in and out of the hospital and made home life chaotic. “My daughter told me she would come check on me every morning, not to make sure I was up, but to make sure I wasn’t dead.”
One day, Shawna experienced dangerous convulsions in front of her daughter, who held her head steady from banging into the ground. Shawna knew she needed help.
Courageously, Shawna left her children in her mother’s care and traveled many states to find refuge. God brought her true restoration at Hoving Home.
When Shawna heard the ladies at Hoving Home utter, “Welcome home,” she finally believed she was safe. She also finally had time to learn how to live a life of faith instead of mere survival.
“I finally had time to sit with the Lord and allow Him to heal the parts of me that were too shameful to expose,” Shawna shares.
At Hoving Home, Shawna read Scripture, worshipped God, and prayed for help and healing. God answered in miraculous ways. The Holy Spirit gave Shawna power to forgive the men who brought trauma and hardship into her life. She also learned to forgive herself.
Shawna has been clean for over two years, and she is reunited with her five children. She bought her own home and is preparing to work with an organization that serves women in crisis.
Shawna is thankful for her new life and now understands the value of being a child of God! She has learned how to make decisions by following God’s Word instead of her emotions. “I’m able to surrender more and more to Him,” she shares. “I am grateful for every person who donates financially and pray for the ladies at Hoving Home. I received the healing I needed to be the mother I am today.”
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As a little girl, Jennifer’s home life was marked by chaos.
Her dad’s alcoholism sowed seeds of fear and rejection in Jennifer’s heart. Over time, his uncontrolled anger led to emotional and physical abuse. Jennifer’s mom suffered from mental health challenges, preventing her from giving Jennifer security—or protecting her little girl from abuse.
Without acceptance in her family, Jennifer looked for it at school. She’d do anything to be liked, to the point of trying cocaine and ecstasy in high school. The pattern of instability continued through early adulthood, even after being clean for a period of time during her military training.
Life spiraled further out of control when Jennifer tried heroin. “It took me to places I never thought I would go,” she expresses.
Jennifer’s on-and-off addiction turned into complete enslavement and prostitution to support her drug use. It also exposed Jennifer to horrific traumas, rape and jail time.
In her lowest moment, God reached out in the most unexpected way. Someone her dad works with told him about Hoving Home.
Over 12 years ago, Jennifer walked through our doors … grateful to be in a place called “home.” God transformed her heart as she learned about Jesus’ love.
“I don’t want people to think as soon as you accept Christ, all of your problems are gone,” Jennifer adds. “But I had a safe place to legitimately heal, learn about God, and get connected.”
After completing our program and serving as an intern for a year, Jennifer went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from a Christian college. She met a wonderful Christ-following man and they now have three beautiful children.
Life hasn’t been without difficulties, but thanks to God’s work in her life, Jennifer knows how to move through challenges with faith.
Jennifer also shares the truth and skills she’s learned with others as a case manager — and a good neighbor. Whether she’s meeting people in the city where she lives who are struggling with substance abuse or supporting clients at work, Jennifer shares her knowledge to help others.
“I’ve gone on to do more things than I would have ever been able to do if I stayed in my addiction,” Jennifer express. “God wants to use us, and we have the skills and abilities to be used by Him.”
Jennifer is living proof of God’s plan to redeem lives and put them on a path of making a difference for Christ. He’s turned Jennifer’s past of pain and brokenness into a ministry of hope and healing.
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Growing up, Cassidy remembers feeling sad. A lot.
As a young girl, Cassidy’s undiagnosed depression was impacting her self-worth. She felt like she had to carry her sorrows alone so she didn’t inconvenience anyone around her.
In God’s providence, He guided Cassidy to a best friend who knew Jesus. One day, Cassidy noticed Scriptures on his coffee table. It was Isaiah 41:10 which says. “Do not fear, for I am with you … I will help you and strengthen you.” God’s promises spoke to her heart!
At that time, Cassidy placed her faith in God and began using her gift of singing to worship Christ. But her depression didn’t disappear.
For a while, Cassidy relied on medical marijuana to avoid despair. It gave her space to pursue work as a registered nurse and stay involved in her church. But in especially low moments, Cassidy turned to alcohol, drank progressively more, and lost self-control over her choices.
Cassidy was pulled over multiple times while intoxicated and given warnings. But after a fourth arrest in a church parking lot, time in prison was imminent, until a judge miraculously allowed Cassidy to go to Hoving Home instead.
Hoving Home gave Cassidy a safe place to handle her challenges in healthy ways.
“Instead of relying on marijuana, for example, I can journal, pray or listen to worship music,” Cassidy shares. She is also managing her depression more thoughtfully with safe medication instead of numbing the sadness away.
As if life came full circle, earlier this year, Cassidy married her childhood friend who showed her to Jesus!
She is eager to start a family and use her nursing skills again. She is also thankful for caring supporters and staff at Hoving Home who helped her grow in her faith and lean on the Lord during difficulties.
“God uses this program in so many ways,” Cassidy expresses. “I was in a pit and He pulled me closer to Him!”
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