You may have read about Alicia* in one of our recent letters. She lost her mother young and her father introduced her to a variety of drugs early on in her life. He once gave her acid as a joke and thought it was hilarious, all while she struggled against the terrifying hallucinations. She was 13 years old. When people start off on a path to addiction so young in life, it takes a long time and intensive treatment for them to find lasting freedom. Thankfully, that’s just what Alicia is finding here at Shepherd’s Gate Brentwood. She’s taking advantage of every tool we have to offer here in an effort to sustain her sobriety and continue her healing. She’s undergoing grief counseling to help her deal with the pain of her husband’s traumatic death. She’s in a long-term drug and alcohol recovery program to help her learn the skills she needs to deal with life in a healthy way. And she’s received medical care to help her body recover from her years on the street. And the food . . . “The food is so good here!” she happily reports. We’ve seen God do miracles in women just like Alicia and we are proud of how hard she is working to turn her life around. Stay tuned for more great updates on Alicia’s recovery! *Name changed for privacy