Thank you for giving Ashley a new beginning.

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

“My life slowly spiraled out of control…”

Ashley was raised in a Christian home, but she’d never seen herself as a beautiful creation of God. “I’d always been repulsed by both my outward appearance and my inner self, and I didn’t think others approved of me either.”

Eventually, she began numbing her pain with alcohol, never dreaming it would take over her life. “Drinking felt good at first, but my life slowly spiraled out of control,” she says.

For more than a decade, Ashley struggled with an addiction, and along the way she started a family with a man also trapped in addiction. Her boyfriend entered our Hebron Men’s Recovery Program, but Ashley continued to spiral down. “I got into a really dark place. I was suicidal and nearly died, but by God’s grace, I was spared.”

God’s intervention was the catalyst that led Ashley to our Higher Ground Program, where her relationship with the Lord has grown strong. “I have a newfound love for Jesus Christ and gratitude for His grace in my life,” she says. “I know that I’m forgiven and I’m learning to forgive myself.”

“God is healing and restoring my life.”

Our counselors and faith-based classes have helped Ashley address the root causes of her addiction, as well. “I dug deep, trauma came to the surface, and I healed as we worked through it,” she says. “Now, I’m starting to love myself.”

Ashley and her boyfriend plan to be married, raise their two young children in the love of the Lord, and volunteer in our recovery programs, helping others find the healing and hope they’ve found. “I’m going to stay deeply rooted at Wheeler Mission,” Ashley says. “It’s really important to me to serve others just like Christ did.”

With Jesus’ love in her heart and hope for the future, Ashley is grateful for your support this Easter. “I was broken, lost, and hopeless, but since coming to Wheeler Mission, my faith has been restored. Now, I have hope, joy, and peace of mind.”

To read the most recent issue of Inside Story, click to download.