Tracie still smiles when she thinks back to one of her first memories at Shepherd’s Gate.
After a childhood surrounded by addiction and abuse, she had been addicted to heroin. She’d been homeless. And she’d been praying to God for His help . . . for a structured and serene place to get back on her feet.
Tracie couldn’t believe how people reached out to her when she was at her lowest moment. “People just loved on us. They gave us everything we need. Those donors made our lives worth living.”
“When I first got here, they opened that pantry up, which is all this food, and I’m standing there with this crate, and I just start crying because it was so overwhelming. I was like, ‘I can have anything in here?’ and they said, ‘Yes, anything you want.’ They take such good care of us.” She could hardly believe that people cared that much about her.
“I had a struggle in the beginning because I felt like, people who were nice to you, they always had motives. That’s the way I grew up. But it’s not true of Christians, they want to bless you. And I want to bless others now too.”
What an amazing turnaround, and it’s all because friends like you showed kindness and generosity!
Tracie continues: “I want to give back. I want to help. Being on the streets, I saw a lot of young girls, a lot of lost girls. Even at that moment, I wanted to help them but I didn’t feel like I could because I was no better off than they were at the time. But now, when I leave, I want to reach out to them.”
We know Tracie is going to make a difference, and we encourage you to pray for her as she finishes her program here at Shepherd’s Gate. Thank you!