She is an overcomer

RECOVERY | TESTIMONY

Alex struggled in a pit of despair before she connected to The Salvation Army Pathway of Hope (POH) program in Oil City, Pa. She was fed up, overworked, bitter, and full of resentment.

Alex, 28, is a mom of three boys. She has a habit of taking everything on herself. She works two jobs to make ends meet because her husband is unemployed. She desperately needed a support system and tools so she could to take a step back, manage her stress more effectively, prioritize her budget, and gain control of her life.

“I didn’t know what to do and I was just in over my head,” she said. “Some people literally need a ‘pathway of hope’ to see that they matter.”

The Salvation Army’s POH program helps families in need to balance their expenses. The program also helps pay essential bills for clients in crisis and bring about the desired outcome—financial security and self–sufficiency

One–on–one counseling, goal setting and tracking, budget guidance, referrals, and access to a network of community resources is how POH creates opportunities for people to gain financial stability and independence. This is exactly what Alex and her family needed to regain their footing.

Alex set and achieved family goals with her husband, Justin, and their children. Six years ago, Alex’s father had given her a house that was in need of exensive repairs. POH provided a new washing machine for the family, emergency plumbing, and sewage repairs. “It really gave me that hope to not fall back into despair,” Alex said.

Major Laura Duesenberry has given Alex spiritual counsel, while POH Director Molly Minman, provided Alex with the support she needed. Minman said that Alex is the hardest working person she’s ever met.

“Molly helped me to pull myself back to reality,” Alex said. “We set real, achievable goals. The first one we accomplished was getting my son enrolled in a good, structured cyber school. He has a 94 percent average right now, and just got his third report card of all As and Bs. I couldn’t be happier.”

Other goals include renovating a bedroom for her son, which is now in process; maintaining financial stability through budgeting, planning, and paying off debts; and getting her husband the support he needs to find and maintain employment.

“I was spinning in circles inside of my own head while trying to take all of this on, and I couldn’t be who my family needed me to be at all,” she said.

Molly related to Alex as a mom who is simply trying to balance work, home, and life as a wife.

“I have never seen someone take on so much. I think for everything she has going on, she handles it with grace,” Molly said with tears in her eyes. “She is so capable, and I immediately knew she had gone through so much. It seemed like she was in survival mode. Now, I feel that in the past year and a half, she has gained a lot of confidence. I am so proud of the progress she has made.”

Alex was quick to respond, “It’s not my grace, it’s God’s grace. I just really believe that. That is my motivation and I credit my progress to Him.”

POH has empowered Alex with the hope she needs to persevere through life’s challenges.

“It’s a drive I have now to move forward, knowing we can move forward, and that we have what we need to move forward. We just have to use it, to be productive,” Alex said.

She remains grateful to the Salvation Army donors and staff who have been a blessing in her life.

“The Salvation Army has literally clothed me, fed me, encouraged me, and inspired me; every good thing you can think of. The Army has grown my faith, and grown me as a person, period,” she said.

by STEPHANIE GODWARD

For more information on Pathway of Hope, visit salarmy.us/poh.org or www.salvationarmywpa.org in the Western Pennsylvania Division.