Connie's Story

Connie’s life didn’t turn out the way she planned . . . Bullied from a young age, she never felt accepted. Connie struggled to fit in, to feel loved. Both her parents were alcoholics, and eventually, Connie turned to alcohol herself . . . then drugs.

In fact, Connie’s life seemed to take one dark turn after another. Married at 18, Connie found herself in a physically abusive relationship with her husband. The drugs — the now daily hit of cocaine — became her solace and comfort. Four years into her marriage, Connie filed for divorce. It wasn’t long after, she found herself in another marriage. This time, fortunately, with a good man. Together they had a beautiful daughter. But Connie, deep down, didn’t feel she deserved it — didn’t deserve this love or happiness. So she left . . .

Living in darkness

Connie would drive home late night after night exhausted from working two jobs to keep up with her addiction. But it was never enough. Connie remembers, “I was seeing these girls. The next day I quit my job and decided to start prostituting.” Connie moved into a dingy motel. For the next 17 years, it was her home: a self-imposed prison. She prostituted enough to make the daily rent at the motel . . . and fuel her cocaine addiction.

“Some days I’d wake up and say, ‘What am I doing? How did I get to here?’ But once you start, you just can’t stop,” Connie says. “Now I call it a jail. I was in jail for 17 years.” And some days, this jail — this prison — felt like it would swallow her up.

Hitting Rock Bottom

Connie’s addiction finally led her to homelessness. “The lowest point probably was the time I lived in my car,” Connie reflects. “I was panhandling off the freeway routes to get money for drugs.” But she never felt safe. She had friends who’d lost their lives on the streets to violence. Connie lost all hope. She hit rock bottom. “I’m done. I’m done with this,” she said to herself.

But thank God, she heard about the Mission. And she knew it was her last chance.

At 60 years old, most people are entering the golden years of their life, but for Connie, life is just beginning. “I’ve grown a lot in Christ. I see a brighter future than I did a year ago. That’s for sure.”
Because of your support, people like Connie who were walking in darkness now have a second chance at life, hope’s been restored, and they have dreams for a brighter future.