Michelle celebrates 10 years of sobriety this month! She can’t believe the many ways God has transformed her life since graduating the program.

She’s been working at RMA for over six years

Michelle’s parents divorced when she was just 2 years old. Although her mother remarried, it was a “very abusive” relationship. “I grew up in a home surrounded by domestic violence—both verbal and physical,” Michelle shared. “It wasn’t towards me, but to my mother. Eventually, she succumbed to her toxic environment and became an alcoholic.”

Fortunately, Michelle’s mother eventually separated from her abusive partner and was sober for 20 years before she passed away. But for Michelle, the damage was already done. “I thought that that was the type of man I was supposed to fall in love with. Whether it was verbal or physical abuse, that was the lifestyle I was supposed to have, that was the fairytale love.

“So, I sought that out for most of my life. I looked for love in all the wrong places. I didn’t experience physical abuse, but in my relationships, I dealt a lot with verbal abuse.”

Michelle met a man, and they had three children together. It was a relationship “solely based on doing drugs together,” Michelle said. “We were still growing up together, but we fell out of love with each other because of the drugs. He went on to better his life and I did not.”

For 19 years, Michelle cycled through drugs, homelessness, and sobriety. During this time, she had another child. In 2015, Michelle and her youngest child came to the Lighthouse.

“There were some trials in the beginning, everything inside of me wanted to leave, but I knew I needed to stay. Before, every time things got bad, we left, but I knew I needed to show my daughter something different. I wanted to show her structure and stability.

“When I entered the program, I started going to and building relationships at church, I was investing in my recovery, everything just looked brighter. I was being provided for; I didn’t have to struggle.

“It’s truly, truly, truly the donors that provided for us, that have poured their hearts and their time into us, the mentors and volunteers that come here, and the staff here, made me feel like I had community, a new family.”

After graduating in 2016, Michelle became a Ministry Resident and in August of 2018, was hired as a Guest Services Associate. “I knew, even as a very young girl, that I wanted to give back. I knew that in my heart; I’ve always had that dream,” Michelle said through tears. “I wanted to be able to help women who were in situations like my mom, I wanted to give back to the women at the Lighthouse, to get a feel for helping women who were in vulnerable situations.”

Last August, Michelle celebrated her sixth year as a Lighthouse employee. “Honestly, since 2015, I’ve been part of the Lighthouse,” Michelle laughed. “I’ve never left.”

But the greatest joy Michelle has experienced since coming to the Mission is her new relationship with God. “Turning my heart to Christ, I would say, has been the most amazing journey of all. I was the only Christian in my family. Since then, both my brothers have surrendered their hearts to Christ and my mom did too before she passed away.”

This month, Michelle celebrates 10 years sober. God restored her relationships with her children, Micaya, 29; Miriah, 27; Joshua, 22; and Laila, 15. She also now has her own home. She can’t believe how much her life has changed in the past 10 years.

“When I do intake interviews, I tell the ladies, ‘Give it a try; you really don’t have to worry about what you don’t have when you come here… You just have to be ready for change. Because it will really happen here, if you allow it to happen. I’m living proof.’”