Become an Open Door Partner

“Do you ever wonder why you or your loved one always does so good in jail or rehab, but within days, weeks, or months, ends up on the same old path for no apparent reason?

I wondered the same thing about myself for over 20 years.

I couldn't understand why, after being in and out of jail countless times, completing several substance-use programs, and even serving three prison sentences, I always went back to the same old lifestyle.

After a personal encounter with my now Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the women who ran a program called The Gift House in a tiny town called Hardinsburg came to visit the ladies at our local jail.

They told me about a place for women where I would work a 12-step program that helped me look at my own part in situations. I would go to church and recovery meetings, find my own sponsor, get a job, and learn how to live life and take care of a home while doing it.

But there was something different.

They were willing to give me choices.

I could choose which church I attended. I could choose the recovery program I worked. I could find my own sponsor and choose where I worked.

This sounded too good to be true.

Everywhere else I had been, you did things their way or hit the highway. But I had nothing to lose, as usual, so I figured I might as well give it a shot.

I knew I wanted to learn how to be a woman, become productive in society, and live a life that pleased the Lord.

Two and a half years later, those same ladies drove halfway across the state to pick me up from the penitentiary.

The first couple of weeks were terrifying.

I went from a sterile, gray, controlled environment to a home filled with colors, smells, people — and choices.

Long-term drug and alcohol use, along with long-term incarceration, had left its mark. I was paranoid and suspicious, and I honestly had no idea what I was doing.

But the ladies who ran the house, along with the sisters who lived there with me, showed me how to do this thing called life on life's terms.

Nobody did everything for me.

They guided me. They didn't make me feel stupid. They didn't make fun of me. They didn't force me to leave when I didn't understand something or didn't do it exactly the way they would have.

I was allowed to learn at my own pace and in a way I could understand.

Slowly but surely, over the next nine months, the Lord grew me into the woman He always intended for me to be.

So if you're wondering what's so different about The Gift House, you just read it.

Today, I am a hard worker. I pay my bills. I care for my home. I am part of my church and recovery community. I am honest. I enjoy helping others. I am no longer consumed with self, and I have no desire to return to my former way of life.

I give all the glory to God.

But I also acknowledge that He used people. He used a home full of women. He used the 12-step program I chose to help me with my addiction.

My story isn't over. I'm still so far from perfect, and I'm incredibly excited to see what His next step is for me in this beautiful journey called life.”