Desiree is a hard-working young mother with a sweet personality and a smile that can light up a room. There was a time, however, when her life was wrecked by an addiction she could not overcome.
Desiree was the mother of three little boys when a severe drug addiction took control of her life. Her habit resulted in several jail sentences, and her sons were eventually removed from her home. The pain of losing her boys provided Desiree with the motivation to get herself clean, but doing so would be no easy task.
“No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t manage to stay sober,” she said. “I knew at that rate, I was never going to be able to get my boys back.”
Further complicating her situation, Desiree became pregnant with her fourth child. It was her probation officer who put her in contact with Angels’ Cove Maternity Center, a ministry of Illinois Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services. After finishing rehab, Desiree came to live at the maternity center—a move that proved to be a turning point in her life.
With the help of the Angels’ Cove staff, Desiree (left) began working to put her life back together. In the process, she saw God begin to work in her life. One major challenge she faced was finding suitable employment. She interviewed for a job at a local restaurant, but didn’t receive a call back. Later that week, she had another interview, but the staff was so rude to her that she left feeling dejected.
“I was so upset,” Desiree remembered. “I went back to my room, prayed, and asked God for help.”
Later that afternoon, she received a phone call from the original restaurant, wanting to set up her orientation. With the answered prayer, God had gotten her attention, and Desiree began to flourish in her job as a dishwasher at the restaurant.
She has since been granted extended visits with her three boys and continues to work toward full reconciliation. She earned her driver’s license back for the first time in 10 years and is working toward buying her own vehicle and finding suitable housing. She plans to go back to school when her youngest child is a little older.
“Through all this, I have learned that God is real,” she said. “He has provided for me at times when I least expected it. I love going to church with my children and watching them learn Bible stories. Being at Angels’ Cove has changed my life.”
For more information about Angels’ Cove and Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services, go to bchfs.com.
– From BCHFS Summer 2017 newsletter