I had a childhood full of trauma. I was moved in and out of foster homes while my parents were struggling with addictions. I was left with many mental, emotional, physical, and sexual struggles. It was hard for me. I lost a lot of faith and looked at God as a bad figure in my life. How could He let this happen to me? I felt like God was supposed to be there to save me, but from how I saw it, He was not saving me.
Later in life, I found myself in and out of incarceration. So much had been pulled out of me at this point. One of my stints in jail lasted 66 days – those were the hardest and worst 66 days of my life. My most recent stay in the Montcalm County Jail began after my arrest on March 19, 2024. I had met the Reach the Forgotten Chaplain’s, Duane and Kay Stanton many times while I was in and out of jail. However, this time was different.
Chaplain Duane and Kay would come into the jail frequently and were always an inspiration to me. They, especially Kay, became mentors for me as I grew very close with them. I was in Bible studies with Miss Kay and both of them were able to walk with me as I grew deeper in my understanding of myself and my faith in Jesus. After this time of learning and growth with Chaplain Duane and Kay, I felt and noticed such a difference in my life that I knew I wanted to be baptized.
On June 29, 2024, just a few months after my last stay in jail, I was baptized. We all went to a local lake that Chaplain Duane baptized me in. It felt even more special because there were visitors at the lake who we did not know that, despite not knowing me or my story, witnessed my baptism and stayed to celebrate with us. We had a picnic afterwards and it was a great day!
Life after incarceration has been wonderful. I lean on God for everything and there is so much excitement in my life now! I am sober and haven’t even thought of relapsing and have been able to build healthy boundaries in my life. For the first time in a long time, I can finally go out in public and not feel scared or ashamed. For much of my adult life, I have been carrying around a lot of baggage, it has felt like chains and boulders weighing me down. I don’t have that anymore and I want people to know and hear about the change that is possible. I have tried to help others experience this by bringing those who I have met through sobriety groups to church with me. I am a living testament that Christ is here and that change is possible. I’m just so excited to share his joy with those around me.
Truthfully, it would have been rough to experience jail without Reach the Forgotten being there for me. I probably would have come right back out and done all the things that I had done in the past.
I will never forget when Miss Kay told me, “The Lord is our shepherd and we are like His lambs.” He will never leave us behind.