When Rosemary arrived at the Lighthouse, she brought with her decades of pain, loss, and longing for a new beginning. But what she found was more than a program. It was healing. It was restoration. And for her, it was the beginning of a whole new life.

“I came in expecting,” Rosemary said, “I came in wanting change. I knew what I wanted.”

Growing up in a large family raised by a single mother, Rosemary learned early how to survive. By age 12, she had already turned to drugs, looking for peace in all the wrong places. Over the years, her life included time in the Job Corps, relationships marked by prison sentences, and a surface-level faith she now recognizes as distant from the true connection she has today. “I was a surface Christian,” she said. “Now I have a relationship with the Lord. It’s deep. It’s personal.”

Her journey wasn’t easy. Addiction clung to her life even after years of trying to do things “the right way.” But God, she says, never let go. “I never stopped believing. I’d be blessing and cussing in the same breath, but I knew He was with me.”

The turning point came when every door in her life closed—except one. The one that led her here. With nowhere to go, Rosemary picked up the phone and called 2-1-1. The first number they gave her was for Rescue Mission Alliance Ventura County.

It took nearly two months of prayer and perseverance for her to finally arrive. And when she did, she walked through the doors ready. “I was broken. But I was at peace. I knew this was my time-out with the Lord. This was where I was supposed to be.”

Today, Rosemary calls this place her “Bible college.” She never enrolled in high school. She’s never walked across a traditional campus. But here, with her Bible in hand and her backpack full of study materials, she’s learning Scripture deeply and personally.

“I don’t memorize much, but I ask the Lord to illuminate His word. I want the desires of His heart to be mine.” After graduation, she wants to be “suited and booted” in the armor of God, ready to do the work He has planned for her.

What our donors make possible goes far beyond food and shelter. It’s the atmosphere of peace. The warmth of community. The power of daily prayer, worship, and teaching.

Every gift goes directly toward creating this sacred environment where women like Rosemary don’t just recover—they rebuild, they rise, and they walk boldly in their God-given identity.

“Every woman here comes in broken,” Rosemary shared. “Some are rebellious. Some have nowhere else to go. But once we start living together and praying together, we uplift each other. We learn from each other. We’re teachable. And staff? The staff is amazing.”

Because of donor support, Rosemary’s needs are met—both physical and spiritual. From books and Bibles to makeup and children’s gifts, everything she and her peers need is provided through generosity. “We don’t go shopping,” she laughed. “But we sure do shop here!”

And her dreams? They’re just beginning.

In her addiction, Rosemary taught herself to sew, learning to make pajamas, robes, and now beautiful handmade aprons. “Everyone says I should sell them,” she said. “Maybe I will, maybe I’ll teach other women, or raise money for the Lord.”

But the biggest dream of all is restoration. She has five children and 13 grandchildren. Today, she only speaks to three. Yet she wakes up every morning thanking God in advance for what He is going to do. “I speak life over my children now. I see them walking in authority with God’s Word. I see it already.”

To the donors and volunteers, Rosemary’s gratitude runs deep. “Thank you for having the heart to help us. You may be behind the scenes, but your impact is right here, in our lives. I expect to be a donor one day too. That’s how much this place means to me.”

Because of your giving, Rosemary didn’t just find shelter—she found purpose. She found community. She found Jesus in a real, tangible way. And she found herself.