A Fresh Start

Starting over is terribly difficult, as Kate came to find out. She had lived a hard life. And she had stayed at The Care Center previously. Many times Kate had attended morning Bible Studies and listened as the leader carefully explained little bits and pieces of the Word of God.  But when Kate moved out, she gravitated to the wrong people.

It wasn't that she necessarily wanted to return to her old lifestyle. It was more that, in some ways, she believed that she could always bounce back from anything. Kate was insecure and did not love herself.  She sometimes took risks with people in order to gain attention.  

A year passed without any word from Kate.

Then one day, we received a call from Kate; she was distraught. She was terribly frightened and disoriented. Four days prior, her boyfriend held her hostage at knife point for 36 hours. She managed to escape and had hidden in a hotel room without contacting anyone. She was quickly allowed to return to The Care Center.

During her stay, Kate talked about her reliance on herself and how the consequences of her bad choices were affecting her life.  She told Nathan Young that she knew that someone else needed to be helping her and because of her previous stays at The Care Center - she knew who that needed to be. - Jesus Christ. 

Kate was told to rest and relax for about a week.  After that week, The Care Center team would review her progress.  A local Christian woman started discipling her that same week each weekday morning.  Kate and this lady bonded and Kate continued to improve.  She even felt safe enough to leave the house, go on walks, and enjoy the freedom from fear of her past.  She knew God was protecting her.  

After about 10 days, Kate and her new sister in Christ prayed about Kate finding a job so she could begin rebuilding her life. The first place that Kate went hired her right on the spot.  God had again helped His new child.  The work went well and Kate started to prosper.  The Bible studies with her friend continued and Kate grew little by little.  Kate even remained stable when The Care Center was visited by one of the ex-boyfriend’s friends.  He was sent away without incident and without seeing Kate.  A few weeks went by and Kate continued to struggle with the temptations of returning to her old friends.  Beginning over in the same town is often filled with incredible temptations.

During the progress reviews, Kate explained that she had experienced so much pain in Jackson that she was afraid to start over here because this man lived in town and had many friends.  Kate really wanted to make it.  She decided to leave the state and return to the town near her family. Kate made tremendous strides toward independence as she reached a place in her life where she wanted change. She no longer wanted to live her prior life. She was ready to face her future.