October 2018
Rescued by Hope! BECAUSE OF YOU EVERYTHING CHANGED FOR TIFFANY
BECAUSE OF YOU THERE IS REST FOR THE HOPELESS
LETTER from the PRESIDENT
Rest for the hopeless Because of you, hope lives here.
Sharon Wagner | President & CEO In 2005, having experienced the devastation and effects of alcoholism and addiction and abuse personally and in their own family, Rick and Sharon Wagner began to help others to find hope and freedom. In a bold move that, at the time, just felt like the right thing to do, the Wagners moved out of their home and into a hotel in order to give five women in recovery their home. They gave the first financial donations, Teen Challenge donated the curriculum and House of Hope was born!
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Because YOU matter... PLEASE fill out the enclosed response card with your updated address, your email, your phone and your important dates!
One of the most powerful and energizing words in the English language is HOPE. You and I face challenging situations at various times in our lives - the loss of a job, a prolonged illness, the death of a loved one, a child facing difficulties, financial problems, difficult relationships - and sometimes we can’t imagine how things will work out. During these times one of the single hardest things to find is HOPE. Hope is the joyful expectation that something good is about to happen. Hope for a better life with healing and family restoration. Because of you, precious souls
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struggling with the effects of alcoholism, addiction and abuse receive the wonderful gift of hope! They come to us when they have no one to turn to and nowhere else to go. And we welcome them with the love of Christ. When they feel that compassion and acceptance, some of their burdens are lifted, and perhaps they can catch their breath for the first time in months or even years and find rest. I think of them and I think of the gift you give them. I think of the wonderful gift they receive and I think, without you NONE of this would be happening. Because of you these women find the strength and courage they need to turn their lives around. It has been said that a person can live 40 days without food, 4 days without water, 4 minutes without air, but only 4 seconds without hope.
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Giving Tuesday Team There’s #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday...and then there’s #GivingTuesday, an international day of giving! This year, we can’t wait to link arms with you so we can provide hope to more women. You can help!! Simply by being ready to FORWARD, LIKE and COMMENT on our social media posts about Giving Tuesday, November 27th. Join the team by contacting: trichethornton@yahoo.com MAKING A DIFFERENCE! House of Hope | October
FEATURE STORY
of e s u a c e B You! RESCUED BY HOPE
g n i h t y r e Ev changed y n a f f i T for I lost everything. Homeless and living out of a car, I lived in an ever worsening funnel of defeat and despair. For 18 years marijuana and alcohol slowly stole everything from me; my son, my college education, my job, my home, my car, my family, my friends and my future. How do you go from a life of productivity and promise to a life of hopelessness and fear, living out of a car, one step from living in the woods? It is a downward descent that happens slowly at first then more and more rapidly one choice at the time. It’s the law of decreasing returns. What satisfies your addiction today is not enough for tomorrow. What worked last week is not enough for this week. What worked last year just is not enough for this year. It is a horrible struggle that leaves you in bondage to emptiness, fear and eventually hopelessness. Hopelessness is the fuel that feeds the fire of addiction. I became more empty, more alone and more vulnerable.
I was in college. I was an exceptional student. I had a good job. But eventually marijuana and alcohol brought me down. It made me sick. I lived with terrible stomach problems. I ran up a $100,000 emergency room bill! The doctors were baffled. They never knew (and I never told!) that I was an alcoholic. Chemically addicted, they prescribed more chemicals to bring healing. It was a prescription for disaster.
"For 18 years marijuana and alcohol slowly stole everything from me; my son, my college education, my job, my home, my car, my family, my friends and my future..." House of Hope | October
I was also a mom. I had a beautiful son. He was six. During my struggle with stomach problems I asked his dad to help me take care of him. Another step into a horrible abyss. I lost my son… I lost the greatest gift God had ever given me. I was unable to get on my feet. Addiction is expensive. Because of the added expense, I could never save any money. Oh, and, I failed a drug test at work and lost my job.
Only someone who has had to do it could understand the complexity of living out of a car. When you live out of a car, you have no address. With no address you cannot apply for a job. With no home taking a daily bath can’t happen. Even using the bathroom becomes a major struggle. When you become homeless you lose your job and it becomes nearly impossible to get another one. Homeless people living out of cars spend their day looking for a safe place to park, a dollar for gas, something to eat, a bathroom… When you sleep in your car, you don’t dare invite trouble by opening a window, it becomes a stifling oven.
Downward spiral. You live every day dirty, tired, hungry and afraid. Without a job and no savings, I couldn't pay my rent and became an American statistic...Homeless. I moved into my car.
Broken and hopeless, finally willing to do anything to break free from addiction, I ended up, by the Grace of God, at House of Hope! Now, I am learning what it means to have an intimate relationship with God. I have stopped being angry with Him. I have begun to accept His love for me. AND, I am loving Him in return. This love is healing the wounds that kept me in addiction. Experientially, I am walking out the truth that I don't have to live in bondage anymore. God has given me a future! I believe that because of my struggle and healing, I am uniquely positioned to help others overcome addiction. So, upon completion of my program here at House of Hope I want to train and lead other residents in the program here as an intern. What a joy to think of offering hope to others as hopeless as I was. My goal is to begin classes in substance abuse counseling and to complete my college degree. I want to be the mom that my son needs and longs for. With my life, thanks to you, I want to prove that God never wastes a hurt!
House of Hope | October
Donor Spotlight
Pat Pitts Pat Pitts first got involved with House of Hope when her granddaughter’s need for help became desperate. Prior to that, she had no need to be familiar with recovery agencies and ministries. At 19, her granddaughter’s addiction forced the family to look for help. Her search led her to look at clinical models whose success rates were, at best, 12% to 15% after 12 months. It was important to her that her granddaughter be in a faith-based program. This refined her search to South Georgia House of Hope whose documented success rate after 5 years is 84%.
The residents and staff were so warm, you could feel Christ in them.” From day one, House of Hope has occupied a special place in the family’s heart. “There is a really strong connection in our hearts.” It has been six years since they were initially introduced to the ministry but the Pitt’s have never stopped giving. “It is important that other women who are in the desperate place we were in but perhaps can’t afford it, have this opportunity for freedom.”
As long as God blesses us we will continually give...
It would be heartbreaking to know that someone was turned away because they couldn't afford it.
Needing to make a choice, they committed it to the Lord. The decision was easily made after she and her granddaughter visited House of Hope. “The minute we walked into the door, I knew it was the right place for her!
For Pat, giving to House of Hope is a conviction, “As long as God blesses us we will continually give. We were able to pay for our granddaughter’s stay but so
many cannot; It would be heartbreaking to know that someone was turned away because they couldn’t afford it.” At the point of tears, she proudly admires who her granddaughter has become. “How God has brought her from where she was to where she is now, I don’t have words for…she is a beautiful lady inside and out!” Her granddaughter has made the journey and has now committed her life to helping others. Speaking of the staff and leaders of the ministry, she says, “This place is so inspiring to me.” After interacting with founders Rick and Sharon Wagner for many years she says, “Sharon and Rick are some of the most special people I have ever encountered, they are so committed to the vision God has given them.” Of the staff, she says, “Their commitment to the ladies is phenomenal.”
House of Hope | October
Volunteer Story
Cathy Biles Parker
Praise God, their stories didn’t end there! The process of healing and restoration begins the second a lady enters the House of Hope.
I visited the House of Hope for the first time in 2012. As I listened to several testimonies of ladies who were residents in the recovery program, I became captured by the sobering realization that only by God’s grace were these stories not mine, my sister or my daughter's. Aren’t we all broken and in need of restoration that only our loving Heavenly Father can give? My heart was pierced as each lady shared about the destruction caused by their addiction. They had lost their marriages, children, homes, jobs and several had lost their health.
Aren't we all broken and in need of restoration that only our loving Heavenly Father can give? I wasn’t exactly sure how I could be an asset for these ladies, but I was certain that what I saw was God’s Heart and I wanted to get involved. I first got involved by giving financially and later helped by advising and serving as a Board Member. The truth is that I have been the one most blessed by being a part of this ministry. I believe the same will happen with you. You can make a difference. The task is great, but the impact of saving a life is beyond anything we can imagine!
About Cathy Biles Parker
Cathy is the wife of former NFL football player and current high school football coach Carl Parker and mother of four. Having spent a decade serving the nonprofit sector, she has been highlighted by ESPN, NBC Nightly News, ABC''s Nightline. She has served as a volunteer and House of Hope Board member since 2015.
You Chose Wisely, Thank You! Because most clinical models for addiction treatment cost between $1,000 to $1,500 PER DAY and most insurances only pay for 28 days of treatment, the average alcoholic and addict cannot get the treatment they need. House of Hope donors make the smart choice, realizing that ONE DAY'S FEE AT A TRADITIONAL TREATMENT CENTER WILL PAY FOR ONE MONTH AT HOUSE OF HOPE!
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House of Hope P.O. Box 489 Lake Park, GA 31636 Phone: 229-241-2707 www.houseofhopega.org
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