Success Stories
Below are some personal stories and life observations written by and about residents of Hope Haven Ministries. These writings will touch your heart and are a true testimony and account of how Jesus Christ changed the hearts and lives of real people through this Ministry.
From a prison inmate, to a successful telemarketer
While living in Southwest Virginia, Dennis made some bad decisions and ultimately found himself in a federal prison in New Jersey. After spending 32 months there, he was released to a half-way house in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Plans were then made for Dennis's release to return to the Southwest Virginia area. However, with no specific address to call home and no income, Dennis needed a place to live until he could get back on his feet. His search led him to Hope Have Ministries in Kingsport. A Greyhound bus brought Dennis to town on July 15, 2005, with only the clothes on his back and a few personal items.
He then attempted to get his social security disability reinstated to provide for his needs. While waiting, he came across a job opportunity. On September 10, 2005, a local business hired Dennis to work in its telemarketing department--he was a natural! Dennis worked hard for the next three months, saved money, bought a car, rented an apartment, and moved out of Hope Haven on December 15, 2005. He keeps in contact with us here at Hope Haven and feels blessed to have come here to get his start!
Belief in herself and God
A few years ago Kim had been staying at the Salvation Army and came to Hope Haven's door. She asked to stay with us because she had found a place of worship that she truly loved and wanted to be free to attend. God had become very important to her, and He was taking a major role in her life. She came at a time when I was very new to the Lord also, and together we learned a lot of things about Him during her time at Hope Haven.
She had been through quite a bit. She has used drugs and alcohol and had recently lost her brother, a brother who was everything to her. She was tired, and she was eager to change her life, and God was right there to help her. I was amazed to see someone so devoted to the Lord and to trusting Him. He literally had become the be all and end all of her life. She doesn't know it, but she had a profound impact on my life in God at the time. It was so uplifting for me to be around someone who literally had nothing and yet had a smile on her face, the Lord on her lips, and a positive attitude all of the time!
She was a hard worker and a go-getter in everything she did. She worked in landscaping during the hot summer months, taking on additional jobs along the way. Strength that could only come from the Lord was evident in all that she did, and I looked up to her for that reason as well.
After she got her own apartment and moved out, we didn't hear from her for a long time. In fact, I became worried about her, and I missed her. But lo and behold, just yesterday on my way to church I saw her. I pulled over and gave her a big hug. She is doing so well now. She is going to Culinary School at King College and working at Troutdale, a local restaurant. She is talking of moving to Atlanta to finish up her degree. She is well on her way to become a chef! I am so proud of her!
Her success came from trusting God. We would all do well to take this story to heart, to learn to trust God just as she did and still does. All He asks us to do is trust Him and He will lead us to things in our lives that could never imagine for ourselves. Trust in God is a huge issue in my life right now, and I think that God yet again trying to show me something by letting me run into her again.. It is God's way of saying, "Trust me, Marty, I won't lead you wrong. I promise!".
From a life of addiction to a smiling, certified nursing assistant
Anita came to Hope Haven from Peninsula Hospital in Knoxville, following a detoxification program for cocaine. Anita comes from an extensive family history of addition-related problems. Actually, she was born into addiction and has struggled with it for years. She came to us with nothing but the incentive to straighten herself up and the motivation to break the cycle of addiction that has haunted her for years. God has been with her. She was able to get a job with little difficulty, worked, pulled herself up, and eventually moved into her own apartment, seemingly on the road to recovery.
As with all addictions, her story did not end. Addictions are difficult to overcome. One lives with them every day, struggling every day. Anita called one morning and asked me to come get her. She said that she was in trouble. Without hesitation I went to get her. She stayed with us a second time for about two months, battling addiction daily.
It was difficult for us to watch such a beautiful person struggle with this all-encompassing burden. When she laughed, her eyes lit up the room. However, most important, she loved the Lord; and we would sit and talk about Him every day. She was a friend, whose addiction became too much to bear. Anita took several pills, attempting suicide. We called 911; and as they took her away, she looked into my eyes, and told me that she hated me, tearing my heart in two. I cried until I could cry no more, feeling that I had let her down.
While this experience is a lesson from God, it's one of the hardest lessons that I have ever had to learn. Sometimes this is the way that God works. A few months later Anita called me unexpectedly; she was crying and asked me to come get her again. She said that I was the only one she could count on for help. Isn't God amazing?
Anita's story has a happy ending; she is now a certified nursing assistant at Sunbridge Hillside Nursing Home. She is a blessing to all with who she comes in contact. Her smile once again brightens everyone's day. She has her own apartment and has just gotten her first car. She recently felt the addiction weighing on her once more; instead of acting on it, she put herself into the hospital to take care of it. Her action shows that Anita is now winning her battle. This is God's story; this is Anita's story.
From alcohol addiction, his mother and God led Scott to becoming a crew supervisor
I'm writing today about a gentleman for whom I must admit I held little hope. When I first met Scott, he reminded me of myself during the 12 years that I attended AA meetings that seemed to work one minute and fell apart the next. A couple of times, as much as it grieved me, I had to call the police on Scott. He was going farther and farther south. However, we didn't give up on him! He kept coming around and calling just to say "Hi". I believe something finally clicked in Scott, and he realized that there are still people in the world who care about others. Scott is now supervising his own crew in the workforce and is living with his family. His mother has stuck with him through thick and thin. I know she has been through a lot. I would like to personally commend her for not giving up on her son. I hope that Scott's trials in the desert are over and that he finds purpose in the Lord. The next time you want to give up on someone, don't be so hasty. The Lord our God works in his time, not ours.
For more information contact us at 423.246.6012 or hopehavenkpt@embarqmail.com.
