The Joy House has changed my life. Through all the struggles and ups and downs, the Joy House has been there for me. This is the place where I became a true Christ-follower. I would not be where I am today without the Joy House.
Before the Joy House, I wasn’t in a very good place. I was fighting to the point that I was being expelled and suspended from school, and I was really hurting people. I remember getting in a fight in middle school where I broke someone’s nose. Luckily, no charges were filed.
Drugs were a big part of my life then. I was smoking weed and snorting pills that could have killed me. Besides fighting and drugs, I was failing school miserably. I rarely went to class, and when I did, I was either sleeping or on my phone. My grades were all F’s through middle school and part of high school, and at this point is where my mom decided to send me to the Joy House.
When I first got to the Joy House, it was rough. I was mad, I didn’t like anyone, and I wanted out. I would do anything and everything I could to get out. I even pretended to fight another resident in hopes of getting kicked out. After a while at the Joy House, I started to stop fighting the system, and I found that life was going to be much better. I started working on my relationship with my mom and with the residents. No doubt there were still times when I got in trouble (a lot) but I am human. I make mistakes; that was something I had to learn.
In May of 2018, I finally gave my life to Christ. I’d been wanting to for a while, but I didn’t really know how. So one day Mrs. Jane, my house mom, offered to help me, and we went into a private room and we prayed together. And on that day my life was different; I was saved.
It’s May 2019 and a lot has changed. Since August 7, 2017, my schooling has skyrocketed, and I’m an A/B student. I went from hating and failing school to loving it so much that I’m going to extend my education. My dream is to become an emergency veterinarian, and the odds are looking great. My relationship with my mom is restored and is very healthy. We used to not be able to be in the same room together without yelling and fighting, but now we can. It’s nice to be able to have a mother-daughter relationship now, and I can’t wait to have one for the rest of my life.
God brought me to the Joy House, and I am very grateful for everything they have done for me.
