A testimony from one of "Our Girls" on the Inside: Grace

My name is Grace and I am a believer in Jesus Christ who struggles with anger, resentment and bitterness.  During my childhood I saw people I loved being beaten and killed. My aunt sold me to a man for $100. I became pregnant but had a miscarriage at 8 months.  My heart began to fill with revenge and hatred. I spoke to no one and chose not to have friends.

I was 18 when I met my husband a few days after our daughter was born my husband was diagnosed with bone cancer. We were devastated.  My husband was deported to Mexico and I joined him 7 months later. We had a second daughter. I thought things were settling down but I was wrong. We agreed to have a gentleman come live with us as he said he was having a hard time making ends meet. We agreed that he would pay rent to help us out. He stayed with us for four months; when he left he still owed us some money.  My husband became seriously ill and I had to contact the man and request payment as I needed it to pay for medicine. He agreed to pay and so I went to meet him. Upon arriving back home with my children the police arrested me on kidnapping charges. My husband was also charged with kidnapping.  Our girls were taken by DIF (social services) but fortunately my family was able to bring them home and care for them.  I found myself in prison full of hatred, resentment and bitterness. I constantly had revenge on my mind.

One day someone shared with me about the Celebrate Recovery program offered in the prison so I decided to join. I learned about forgiveness and I knew that I needed to forgive as God had forgiven me but it was not easy to hear this. I don’t focus on “why did this happen to me” anymore. I know without a doubt that God was with me through it all. He allowed it because He has a plan and purpose for my life.  He gives me the strength I need to face each day.

Principle 8 really touched my heart because says: "Yield myself to God to be used to bring this Good News to others, both by my example and by my words. Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires." Through this Principle I understand that if I give my whole life to God I can be used by Him to bring hope to all those who have gone through situations similar to mine.  I'm working on surrendering my life and my will to my Heavenly Father every day. Through Celebrate Recovery I am gaining a deeper relationship with God and gradually my heart is being emptied of the anger, bitterness and revenge and it’s being filled with faith, hope and love. Now I know that God cares for me, my husband, my children and even my legal situation, I have peace that can only come from God.

Thank you for your support and prayers and thanks for letting me share my story with you.

God bless you.

*names have been changed to protect their identity*

A testimony from one of "Our Girls" on the Inside: Rosalynn

My name is Rosalynn and I am a believer in Jesus Christ struggling with co-dependency issues and low self-esteem. Before starting Celebrate Recovery I had very little knowledge of God. I easily exploded in anger when something bothered me. The only time I spoke to God was when I was in trouble. I had a good attitude towards others unless they tried to tell me what to do. Now I recognize that my rebellious attitude and my problems with addictions brought me to prison.

The lowest point of my life came when I entered the dark world of drugs. I remember spending entire nights wandering from place to place with my friends waiting for our next fix. I knew that sooner or later I would have to pay for my mistakes and face the consequences of my actions. Now I understand that it is by the grace of God that I am here in prison. I am thankful that He allowed me to come to this place so that I could begin my recovery.

Someone invited me to the YUGO-Celebrate Recovery program.  I admit, at first I didn’t appreciate having to sit still for two hours, but then, something magical began to happen; I started to pay attention to the CR lessons and it was as if every one of the lessons were written just for me. I became interested in learning more about God and started talking to Him. I learned how to pray and I learned that God loves me and is interested in me. I gave my heart to Jesus and began my personal relationship with Him. I get excited and can hardly wait for Mondays when the YUGO team hosts the CR program. I know God will speak to my life through the lesson of that day. I have learned through the program that God cares for me and His love is never ending.  This so beautiful to me.

Lesson 6 ACTION is the lesson that touched my life the most. It is in this lesson that I learned to surrender my will to Jesus Christ and allow Him to have control of my life. I feel God has helped me to have sanity in my thoughts and my life. I have learned to be more sociable and to relate differently with others. I've exchanged the feelings of hate, anger and resentment with  feelings of peace as I stay in communion with God and continue to read His Word. I am able to go to church every Sunday and get to share this very beautiful journey of recovery with many other women here in prison.

I am a different person today as I walk with confidence and am learning to have self- control with my reactions. My goal is to continue walking with God and allow Him to be the power that guides my life. One of the greatest benefits I have gained through the CR program is that I now have a personal relationship with Jesus and that I can trust my life in His care.  I believe with all my heart that God has a purpose for my life. My part is allowing myself to be led by His Spirit and obey Him. I bravely share this message with other inmates who are dealing with the same issues I had in the past. Thank you for allowing me to share. God Bless you all.

*names have been changed to protect identity*

Road to Recovery Newsletter: June 2016

Jesus hung out with the lost and broken people of society in his day.

Luke 19:1 - 10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”  But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

It is our call to embrace
the very people
Jesus embraces.

 Not only are the people of Mexico finding healing from their hurts, hang-ups and habits- they are finding the gift of eternal salvation- the greatest gift ever offered to us by God.

A set of 4 books costs $20. If you would like to purchase a set for someone who can't afford them please select RECOVERY MINISTRY from the giving list and then write CR BOOKS in the message area.     Lives are being transformed.

The Recovery Ministry team feels called to change the world one broken person at a time. Participants are admitting their sins, confessing them to God and accepting the healing they need most in their lives.

A testimony from one of "Our Girls" on the Inside: Star

My name is Star and I am a believer in recovery, I struggle with anger.  Prior to starting recovery I was rebellious and had no fear of God.  I drank a lot of alcohol and lead a promiscuous lifestyle. I surrounded myself with very bad people. The only time I would cry out to God was when I was in trouble as this was when I remember he actually existed. I was distant, defensive and could be cruel. I reached the lowest point in my life when I started stealing, cheating, selling my body and ending up in prison. But it was in prison when I realized that even in here there were women getting their lives back together, being transformed by the power of God. I felt that I needed that kind of change in my life too, so I became involved in the Celebrate Recovery group.

Now that I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has led me to make changes, changes I could not make with my own strength. Celebrate Recovery has taught me to be a better person, a loving and compassionate person, a person who shows mercy to others.  The 12 Steps have been a blessing to my life because they reflect the condition of my heart and also reflect the need I have to depend on God every day. One of the changes that God has done in my life in terms of my relationship with others is that now I am learning to love other people despite their shortcomings and differences, the same way God loves me.

By the grace of my Lord Jesus Christ I no longer lie or steal and I am able to control my anger. All of my trust is in Jesus Christ and I am more aware of my attitudes (good and bad).  I try to please Him at all times.  I have received many benefits and blessings since I started working through the CR program. I am able to see patience in me, love, peace and joy despite being in this place. I am able to encourage new believers by sharing with them that they too can recover from the hurts, hang-ups and habits of their former lifestyle. I can share with them that in Christ they will always find forgiveness, healing and restoration for their lives.
Thank you for letting me share.  God Bless!

*names have been changed to protect their identity*

Pray for the Recovery team:
~ as we reach out to the community of Rosarito. We will be handing out the "Does your life need to change?" invitations and posters in the community so they too can find hope for their broken lives.
~ as we reach out to the lost and broken through special events and training.
May- Mother’s Day event in the prison
May- Movie events at Calvary Chapel Rosarito and the Ensenada Prison
May & July-Information seminars and Celebrate Recovery Step Study training for pastors and church leadership in the East Colonias of Tijuana and Ensenada.

“The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make His face
shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up
His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.”’

A testimony from one of "Our Girls" on the Inside: Carla

Hello, my name is Carla and I am a believer in recovery from alcoholism, drugs and guilt. My life before recovery was empty. I wanted to leave my destructive behavior but I couldn’t; I wanted recovery for myself and my family but it was too difficult to do on my own. I felt lonely. Deep inside I knew I needed God, but I felt so unworthy. I had been taught about a God who does not hear me unless I am certain kind of person or belonged to a certain religion (Jehovah Witness). I isolated myself and avoided being with my loved ones; I felt more and more alone. I was afraid being around others so I buried myself in alcohol. I eventually lost everything, my house, my car, my job, my marriage, my relationship with my family. I hit rock bottom when I began to steal and entered into prostitution. I remember wandering on the streets aimlessly sleeping on pieces of cardboard in abandoned houses.  Eventually I was thrown into prison.

One day I was invited to the YUGO Bible Study. This has been one of the greatest decisions and blessing in my life! The Celebrate Recovery program has helped me a lot.  I have been set free from the darkness and pain that was inside of me. Best of all, I know I do not have to walk this journey alone.   There are other women just like me who are allowing God to heal them. Jesus Christ is with us in our journey towards recovery. I was so impacted when I learned that God forgives us no matter what we have done. It touched my heart to know that Jesus washed the feet of Judas even though he knew that hours later Judas was going to betray him. This speaks to me of the greatest love, compassion and mercy from God that one can imagine.

Through Celebrate Recovery God has spoken into my life.  The lesson that spoke most to my heart was where God declares me not guilty; also, doing my daily inventory greatly blessed my heart. I can honestly tell you that my life has turned 360 degrees.

Even though I'm in prison I managed to reconnect with my family and friends and I have come to cherish the many wonderful women within the CR program.  I have learned to relate to other people and I do not feel alone. Now I can share that the feelings of fear, insecurity, rejection, guilt and loneliness are gone and this I owe to Jesus Christ.  I know that God loves me, forgives me and has a purpose for my life. Since inviting God into my life, I feel Him walking beside me and now all I do, I do it for Him.  I’ve been made right with God and He has clothed me with His righteousness.

 

Now I get to share my story with other women in the prison, and with my family through letters, telling them how God has changed my life and He has given me hope and a purpose. My greatest desire is to serve at New Beginning women’s discipleship home and rehabilitation centers and where ever the Holy Spirit guides me to bring the Good News. My desire is to reach souls for Christ. I feel like I've finally found my purpose and my happiness.

Thank you and God bless.

*names have been changed to protect their identity*

A testimony from one of "Our Girls" on the inside: Yesenia

My name is Yesenia, and I am a believer working on my recovery.  My life before Christ and recovery was sad, full of confusion and I felt disoriented.  There were times when I felt resentment towards society and I tried to fill the void with alcohol or other kinds of drugs. I knew that God existed but I didn’t have a relationship with Him.  I never looked for Him and I didn’t trust others who did know Him.  I was insecure and very unhappy. 

Losing both of my parents while being incarcerated has been the lowest point in my life; my heart hurts.  I was invited to attend the YUGO Bible Study called “Celebrate Recovery”.  It was there that I met with Christ and asked Him to be my Savior. My confidence started to grow. The CR program has given me tools to deal with traumas in my life. I’m learning to give everything over to God.  Through the program I was able to discover that while I am an adult I was still suffering and holding on to past hurts deep within my heart.  The divorce of my parents was still causing me pain but I was never able to talk about it but I was given the opportunity while going through the CR program. This was something that marked my life and I had been unable to overcome it, until now.  I also can share with you that now that I know God, my insecure and distrustful life is gone and I can admit that I need help. I have the courage to recognize my faults; I accept the consequences of my actions and recognize that they are because of making wrong choices.

I am learning to walk by faith, believing that God loves me enough to send His Son to die for my sins. With the Holy Spirit as my Helper I am being guided in truth.  One of the benefits of working through the CR program is that I feel set free from the guilt and condemnation that I had before. I depend on the wisdom of God to guide my steps and He has given me the opportunity to share this with others just beginning their recovery process. I have also been able to share the good news about the hope that is found only through Jesus Christ to my family.

Thank you for letting me share.

*names have been changed to protect identity*

A testimony from one of "Our Girls" on the inside: Yolanda

My name is Yolanda and I am a believer in recovery. I struggle with the memories of my past and the words that I choose to speak.  Before starting my recovery process I was filled with hatred, resentment and I had a thirst for vengeance.  When it came to getting what I wanted I would stop at nothing, thinking that I could do it in my own strength. I felt superior to others. I was good and considerate to those who were poor but to those who had money I was arrogant and rude. My thought of God was that he would help only a certain kind of person. I allowed my husband to abuse me physically and sexually and when I had to be taken to the hospital I justified the beating; I never had the courage to say “no” to my husband, this was about the lowest point in my life. 

With this as my background I came to prison.  One day while I was in my cell I saw a group of women enter the prison and they started handing out hot dogs to a group of inmates. I asked permission to go and was told that I would have to listen to the teaching of the group.  I went thinking that all I really needed was a hot dog.  I was wrong.  I learned quickly that I needed God in my life. I needed forgiveness and His healing touch. Who would have thought that a simple little hot dog would be the way that God captured my attention and get me on the path of recovery.

Accepting Christ into my heart was the best decision I have ever made. I am a blessed woman because I am saved from eternal death. I am blessed because I know Jesus as my Savior.  CR has helped me overcome my insecurities and my life is gradually changing for the good. I say gradually because there is so much more to do in my life but God and I are working on my anger and controlling my impulses. I am learning to recognize my mistakes and apologize when necessary. I am learning how to make amends.  God continues to make big changes in my life and heart – I am far from perfect but I am fighting the good fight and in the process God is teaching me to depend on Him for everything. The insecurity, hatred and resentment that ruled my life before now has been changed by a constant security that comes from God alone.  I am learning to be honest and transparent.

One of the many benefits of working through the CR program is that I now have life mentors. I am learning to have faith, strength, hope and love. I have learned to forgive and receive forgiveness.  Today I encourage those just starting out on their own path of recovery and I am able to share the Good News of God’s love to my family.  I feel called to share the blessing of God’s love with everyone.

Thank you for letting me share and may God bless you.

*names have been changed to protect identity*