Finding the Strength to Start Over

“The Center changes lives…it gave me peace and a purpose.”

Everything changed when Elizabeth looked up from her hospital bed to see the tear-stained faces of her two young children.  The look in their eyes as they saw how badly their mother had been beaten gave her the courage to leave an abusive relationship and stop drinking.

Her alcohol abuse began years before, when her first relationship ended and her ex took custody of her kids. “I was pretty torn up because I had two older children and he took them — wouldn’t let me see them. I turned to alcohol to numb that feeling.”

When she heard about the Christian Aid Center, she knew it was where she should go. “We left everything. We only had a bag of clothes — no money, no ID.”  She enrolled in Healing Home, an 18-month life-change program for women who want to stop the cycle of addiction, trauma and broken relationships.

Here, through your gifts, they were blessed with the essentials of safe shelter, nutritious meals and everything they needed to feel comfortable and at home. Elizabeth learned about God’s healing grace and surrendered her life to Him.  “We had Bible studies every day, so I learned how to be honest with other people and myself. The Lord has given me an open mind and heart.” 

“I came from a very black place,” Elizabeth shares. 

“I’m amazed even today that I have 

1,019 days of sobriety. Now every day, I live 

life to the fullest!”

In addition to her spiritual growth,  Elizabeth also gained practical skills while working in the Center’s kitchen. Today, she is happily working with the Walla Walla public schools in their cafeterias, and she lives with her two kids in a place of her own. “All my aunties worked in restaurants, so it was something I’ve always wanted but never pursued. It’s like a dream come true!”

This Christmas, as Elizabeth and her children celebrate Christ’s birth, she’ll also celebrate the joyous new life she found inside our doors because of your kind compassion. “Before I came to the Center, I was lost. Now I am at peace. It’s given me purpose and my life back.”