24 Aug Tina Marie Has Found Freedom
As we prepare to expand our Center for Women & Children in Indianapolis, we want to share stories of transformation and hope. Many thanks to our volunteer and guest author, Alex Pollock, for interviewing our ladies and telling their stories.
The beginning
Tina Marie’s addiction to crack cocaine began when she was 19 and continued for the next 23 years.
“At a young age, I felt neglected and unworthy,” she said. “I allowed the streets to raise me.” At sixteen, Tina Marie was pregnant, and her mother disapproved. Refusing to give up her baby, Tina Marie moved into a house with her boyfriend and three other couples. The house mates began robbing houses to support themselves. Eventually, they were caught, and Tina Marie was sent to juvenile detention. Soon after, Tina gave birth to her son.
The descent
At 19, Tina Marie was introduced to crack cocaine. To support her habit, Tina Marie became a booster, stealing merchandise from stores and reselling it, supporting her family that way for the next 12 years. Despite her darkness, she knew she wasn’t living up to her potential.
Her drug use continued for several hard years.
The freedom
Tina Marie met a man while living on the streets. “He sat me down in front of a mirror and told me I was more worthy than this,” she said, “that this was not who God made me to be. That’s when I looked at myself and knew I had to change.” Eventually, Tina Marie came to Wheeler Mission and joined the Higher Ground addiction recovery program for women.
Higher Ground enabled Tina Marie to address her addiction and see that change is possible through Jesus Christ. “I was a member of the walking dead,” she said, “but now I have life, and I have it more abundantly. I can walk, live, and breathe the air and know that God is real.” In Higher Ground, Tina Marie prepared for sustainable, independent living through recovery classes, group and individual counseling, holistic life skills classes, social enterprise, and Bible study. She has a relationship with her children and is excited to explore the opportunities that God has for her.
“I don’t know where God is going to lead me, but I’m willing to walk through the doors. He has many things for me. I know where He has been throughout all of this, and it formed me and molded me into the woman He wanted me to be, to fulfill His promise.”
Thank you for caring for the guests of Wheeler Mission. To help us grow our Center for Women & Children and provide help to even more women like Tina Marie, go here.