Jennifer

At a young age life had taught me how unkind the world could truly be. Those experiences and tribulations forever effected how I grew up and how I viewed life.

Once I hit my late 20s I began making poor choice after poor choice. Which quickly caught up to me. I was then living a life I just wanted to escape. I hated who I was, and hated the life I had created. I couldn’t stand the reflection in the mirror, and my heart & mind was filled with so much anger, guilt and shame.

Finally after a long 8 years of living a life as a person I no longer recognized I made the choice to change my life forever. Once completing a 90 day program in rehab I found My House Ministry. I should actually say they found me. With their visit to harbor house I felt this program was exactly what I needed to continue on my journey.

I arrived at My House Ministry as a very vulnerable and lost soul, as I was only 90 days into my healing and sober journey. I was extremely nervous, but the moment I stepped into the house I knew this is where I was meant to be.

I was welcomed into the house with so much love and support, something I certainly wasn’t used to. I was not judged by my mistakes nor looked at as the person I had created about myself in my head. With their support, love, guidance, and life skills tools I began to see myself as I truly was. A beautiful, strong, resilient and intelligent human being.

My House Ministry taught me to believe in myself, how to trust myself, and how to forgive myself for my past decisions. I learned living in the past, living in the guilt & regret would only hold me back. They taught me the tools of how to let go of what was no longer meant for me. I can not express enough how important those tools are to move forward with your life.

I now have stronger bonds with my children. I have learned so many great skills on how to be financially responsible. I have learned how to set and keep boundaries with myself, others and my work. I learned how to give myself validation instead of seeking it from others. I have learned how to properly deal and cope with my emotions. I no longer resort to my destructive and impulsive coping mechanisms that I have used all my life. I have healed and mended relationships with people I love, and have healed and mended the relationship with myself.

My House Ministry didn’t do the work for me, however they did provide me with a safe space to heal and do the work. Without that I would not be where I am today. After 18 months I am now back into my own home. For 18 months I have been able to maintain a job that I not only love, but I am continuously excelling at. I have paid off all my debt, and have a savings account with emergency money in it. I am now 2 years And 4 months free from my addiction to drugs. After 18 months I am finally the person I never thought I could be. I am not finished healing or evolving into the woman I am meant to be, but my time at My House Ministry has given me a fighting chance to continue on this beautiful journey called life.

My experience living at My House Ministry is something I will always cherish & be grateful for. Staff and the other women (residents) that I have met along the way have forever impacted my life in a positive way. They gave me the hope (and so much more) that I desperately needed and deserved. They showed me how kind the world can truly be.