April sat in quiet anguish at a local bar on a dreary Spring morning. It was 10 am, and April was drowning her sorrows in vodka. The immense weight from the years of addiction bore down on her. In a moment of clarity, April reached out to every detox center she could find. Desperate for help, her pleas fell on deaf ears. That is until she called Shepherd’s Door, a haven provided by Portland Rescue Mission for women and their children in search of recovery and restoration.
Fueled by your generosity, Shepherd’s Door met April in her darkest days. She entered Shepherd’s Door’s New Life Program broken and lost with a deep yearning for change. “I had lost my home, my kids went to live with their dad, and I found myself on the streets. I had destroyed my life,” she explained. “I was bankrupt – spiritually and emotionally.”
As she embraced recovery, April discovered her worth was not found in a bottle or a string of failed relationships but in her faith in Jesus. “For years, I tried to find validation in the bottom of a glass or through the next high. Shepherd’s Door helped me to find my worth in Jesus. It brought me hope and accountability,” April reflected.
Your generous support has played a pivotal role in changing April’s life through the incredible work of the Portland Rescue Mission’s Shepherd’s Door. With the offerings at Shepherd’s Door, April discovered a renewed sense of purpose. She developed the tools and vocational skills to rebuild her life.
“If I could go back to that woman drinking vodka at 10 am, I would tell her that it’s not too late to ask for help and she is worthy of hope,” said April. “I would say addiction is not your identity but do the work to surrender your life to Jesus.”
Thank you for providing April and many other men and women the opportunity to find healing, regain their confidence, and embrace the brighter future God desires for them. Learn more about how Shepherd’s Door’s New Life Program meets the needs of those in our community by visiting: https://portlandrescuemission.org/women-children/.