WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
A GRADUATE
I want to thank you for all you have done in my life and the effect you had on me. I hope you and the rest of the staff take grasp of how inspirational you all are, and how grateful I am to have had such people take part in my life. You know when you can look back and can see a mass change in people that a movement has truly taken place. I can feel Christ's plan taking effect in everything I do. His love is amazing, and I thank you for helping point me in the direction of His grace. I am now able to graduate on time with my class! To see how far I have come, it just amazes me to see God's work in my life! I thank him every day for the miracles he has truly performed.
A MOM
In our meeting with our Counselor last night, she said Emily was progressing. Emily made the comment to me Tuesday night she was going to aggressively work on her schoolwork to progress ahead. Is this my child talking? I believe the House of Hope has saved her life.
I know we will have setbacks and revert back to old behaviors, but I see a very dramatic change.
Thank you so much for all the staff does. God was so good to lead us to you.
With a sincere heart,
Resident's Mother
A PARENT
Looking back over the year, from day one we had a tremendous amount of peace bringing our daughter to the House of Hope. It was the most difficult, and at the same time, best decision we made to help our daughter. We wanted her to have the peace that only God can offer, and that’s exactly what she experienced while at House of Hope. It is very evident that the House of Hope Staff depends on the Lord for wisdom, guidance, and strength, and that’s what gave us peace about bringing our daughter and our family to this program. Tuesday nights were a breath of fresh air. Despite circumstances, we were encouraged, supported, prayed for, and loved by the staff and each other while there. Our family has changed due to the new skills we were taught in counseling, but through it all we learned that in order to see change, we all have to be willing to take responsibility and look within for change in our lives. Thank-you House of Hope for helping us peacefully embrace change in our home and family! We Love you dearly.
Despite being raised in a Christian home, I started making poor choices involving smoking, drinking, drugs and relationships. I numbed myself with drugs to the point that I didn’t care about anything or anybody, not even my family. I developed hatred towards my dad. My family was broken. Stealing my Mom’s car landed me in jail, where I stayed for three weeks.
Being in jail was a huge eye opener. All around me were girls who had been prostituting themselves for their next crack or cocaine fix. I realized I was heading down the same path. God used these girls to share with me how empty their lives were. I decided to never go back to my old life.
I saw House of Hope as an opportunity for me to learn how to create a new life for myself and learn to live out the Christian faith that I had had just begun to claim in jail. House of Hope would provide me with a safe haven and an opportunity to break away from my old patterns and friends.
As I worked through the phases to in order to graduate from House of Hope I was demoted not once, not twice, but three times. Through being demoted, I learned a lot about submitting to authority - both God’s authority and the earthly authority he had put before me in my parents and at House of Hope.
As my family worked through House of Hope with me, we began to enjoy spending time together again. Instead of yelling at each other, we were able to have family time that involved fun conversations. I am living at home again and love spending time with my parents!
One of my favorite memories from House of Hope is reciting Psalm 91 each morning before school. Verse 14 states, “that because I love the Lord, He will rescue and protect me.” My life is evidence of the truth of this promise!
Amanda, Graduate
Taking my daughter, Brittany, to the House of Hope and leaving her was the most difficult thing I have ever done. I remember the sadness I felt and the agony over questioning my decision. However, I knew leaving that day that it was the best decision I could have made for my daughter and our family. At that time, my daughter was a depressed and angry 13-year-old girl. She had low self-esteem and constantly doubted herself. The staff of HOH helped her to see the direction her life was headed and to change the path she was taking. They showed her how to find her true identity in Christ and helped her to realize that God was the Father she was longing for.
House of Hope was not easy. There were times when Brittany wanted to quit and come home. However, the girls and their families are guided through the program with lots of love and grace. God truly uses this place as a place of healing and comfort for everyone involved. They met us where we were and through the grace of God brought us to where we are!
As a result my daughter is a new creation! She now knows who she is in Christ and strives daily to serve Him. Seeing the changes in her and in our family has been such a humbling experience. We will always be forever grateful to the staff and counselors of HOH, and we give God all of the glory for all that has been accomplished in our family. Brittany graduated from the program on May 8, 2007 and we work everyday to continue to live by the Life Skills and the Biblical teaching that we learned. We now live as a family and not as a war zone!