I never knew that love is forgiving and that it holds no record of wrongs. Not until I was given a second chance at Gilgal that is. When I was in the program two years ago, I made a choice to leave after only a few weeks. I went back to an abusive relationship, which ultimately led to using meth again.
I never knew love was so patient until I came to Gilgal. I really didn’t know what to expect when I got into the program. The only thing I did know was that the way I was living wasn’t working. I was at my lowest point and wanted to give up. I had lost my home, my car and my family was getting tired of me and my drinking.
I never knew love could be so healing until Gilgal showed me. I came directly from jail as part of a requirement from drug court. Initially I thought my addiction to meth was the problem. However, after I began working the program, I realized that there was a deeper healing that needed to take place in me in order to overcome my old destructive cycles.
September is National Recovery Month – a nationwide effort to raise awareness about substance abuse in America and celebrate the individuals who courageously strive every day to secure and maintain a LIFE IN RECOVERY.
At Gilgal, our focus is to educate, equip and empower women to embrace a future free of drugs and alcohol by utilizing their fullest potential in a God honoring way. We do this through Christ-centered recovery programming, individual and group counseling, and life skills development.
Ultimately, we want to assist women in breaking the cycle of defeat that lead them to drug and alcohol addiction and replace it with a cycle of victorious living through Christ Jesus.
As part of this nationwide initiative, we will be taking steps to educate our partners about the issue of addiction in America and hosting several events that we hope will enrich the lives of our women and their families.
We will also be incorporating our “LIFE IN RECOVERY” theme into all of our regular programming at Gilgal. The goal is to EDUCATE, EQUIP and EMPOWER individuals who are impacted by addiction, and to actively engage the support of everyone who wants to join God is His transformational work at Gilgal. He truly is a God of LOVE BEYOND MEASURE.
Stay tuned during the month of September as we celebrate LIFE IN RECOVERY. Be sure to visit our website at www.womenofgilgal.org to find inspiring testimonies or to share your own recovery story!
We also hope you can join us on Thursday, October 18, 2018 for our 4th Annual Blue Jean Gala. It will be an exciting evening celebrating LOVE BEYOND MEASURE. Change Happens at Gilgal and you can be a part of it! Seats are limited so register now.
Join us as we celebrate our August 2018 Graduate – Misty M. Misty joins 5 other women who have graduated Gilgal in 2018! Excitement is definitely in the air!
One of the many ways God has uniquely gifted Misty is through the ability to express herself through spoken word. She shares one of her more recent poems describing her relationship with God and the assurance of His guiding voice.
My name is Sara F. I have been at Gilgal since December 2017. On July 31, 2018, I will be 60 years old. Who dreams of spending their 60th birthday in rehab? That was not the plan I had envisioned for my life. But, as I am learning in classes at Gilgal, the life I live today is a result of decisions made in my yesterdays. If I want a different tomorrow, I need to begin changing my actions today. I am ready for change! I want different outcomes for me and my family. I have lots of work to do.
Danaleigh W. A Story of RestorationWhen we’re young, doing homework at night often seems pointless, redundant, and downright boring. For Danaleigh W., doing her assigned Gilgal homework each night was not a chore, but a way for her to grow in her relationship with the Lord. The required homework that the staff gave her “got her into the Bible and made her aware of God’s presence.”
Debra M. A Woman of Many MasksDebra M. was the woman of many masks when she first arrived at Gilgal. Her dependency on masks was rooted in a distrust of people and a fear of feeling her own emotions. Debra first tried crack cocaine when she was sixteen years old, after her father’s suicide and the birth of her daughter. “Being high was the biggest mask of all,” she says. Being high allowed her to “feel special” and was something that shielded her from the abuse she experienced from male friends of her mom. This mentality led Debra into a self-destructive path of thirty years of using.
Evelyn B. A New PerspectiveWhen faced with the choice of one year in a rehab program or two years in jail, Evelyn B. chose the one year of rehab. Her arrival at Gilgal was trailed behind by twenty years of drug use, which started when she was only twelve-years old.
Rachel D. Intimacy with GodAfter thirty years of living with an addiction to crack, Rachel D. decided she was “sick and tired.” “I wanted to be with my family, and drugs would not allow that,” says Rachel. “I got tired of depending on others to take care of me.”