Unexpected Surrender

Before coming to Life Turning Point, Nancy’s life looked very different from what it does today. By her own admission, she was living in addiction—drinking heavily, smoking marijuana, and surviving through prostitution for nearly ten years. Though the lifestyle brought money, designer clothes, luxury trips, and nights of constant partying, it never brought peace.

“I had all these things,” Nancy shares, “but at the end of the day, I was still very sad and very lonely.”

Nancy’s loneliness deepened after the loss of both her parents. Her mother passed away in 2019 due to drug abuse, and her father died from cancer in January 2022. With no parents left, Nancy felt completely alone in the world. “I felt like I was thrown into the world, all by myself. And I realized that no matter how many men I slept with, no matter how much money I had, no matter how much liquor I consumed, and how much weed I smoked at the end of the night, I was very sad and lonely.”

Just weeks after her father’s passing, Nancy received a knock at her door. A few men invited her to attend a new church opening in her neighborhood. Though she had attended various churches as a child, Nancy says she never truly knew Jesus personally. Still, she decided to go.

“That day changed my life,” she says. “I didn’t feel judged. I didn’t feel like I had to look or act a certain way. I felt welcomed.”

For the first time, Nancy heard about Jesus not as a religious idea, but as someone who loved her personally and had a purpose for her life. “I kind of had a grasp of who Jesus Christ was, but I never knew Him personally. But when I started hearing about Jesus Christ and who He actually was and how He loved me, it changed my heart completely. I decided to surrender my life to Christ.”  That day, she surrendered her life to Christ—but the transformation did not happen overnight.

Even after coming to faith, Nancy struggled. She continued drinking, smoking, and returning to old habits. Night after night, she cried out to God, asking Him to help her let go of the life she no longer wanted.

“I didn’t want to live for myself anymore,” she says. “I wanted to live for Him.”

The turning point came when Nancy discovered she was pregnant. She believes her son was the answer to her prayers—a miracle that forced her to step away from the lifestyle she could not escape on her own. After giving birth, Nancy found herself homeless. Without savings and no longer living off of prostitution, she moved in with her younger sister for several months. Eventually, conflict forced her to leave, and she began searching for shelters, which led her to a shelter where she was placed in the same room with a man withdrawing from drugs.

“ I couldn’t raise my baby in an environment surrounded by people overdosing from drugs,” she says. “So, I prayed.”

That prayer led her to Life Turning Point.

From the moment Nancy found Life Turning Point, she knew it was different. Not only did the program provide safe, clean housing and meals, but it surrounded her with Christian women, Bible studies, accountability, and structure.

“I didn’t just need shelter,” Nancy explains. “I needed a place where I could fully surrender to God.”

Through Life Turning Point, Nancy quit marijuana, alcohol, partying, and prostitution. The strict structure—curfews, expectations, and accountability—became the very tools God used to help her heal.

“God knew exactly what I needed,” she says. “Even when it felt hard, it was what saved me.”

Now seven months into the program, Nancy says her relationship with God is stronger than ever. Instead of drifting away spiritually, she feels herself growing daily.

A major part of that growth comes from her case manager, Sister Kelly. “She’s helped me in every way—spiritually, financially, emotionally,” Nancy says. “She reminds me of God’s love when I feel unworthy. She helped me recognize my addictive tendencies and understand that God chose me to break generational curses.” . I remember when I first called Life Turning Point,  it was Sister Kelly who answered the call. And when I did my interview: it was Sister Kelly who did my interview. And then when they later told me that I was being accepted into the program, they told me that Sister Kelly would be my case manager.  I get a little emotional thinking about it because it's like... I don't feel like the staff are really recognized or fully appreciated here.”

With Sister Kelly’s support, Nancy quit vaping in October and continues to work through counseling, budgeting, and spiritual development. Though she is working and saving money, Nancy recently realized she isn’t yet ready to transition into independent housing—and she sees that as wisdom, not failure.

As Nancy continues healing, she is also processing her childhood trauma. Though she describes her upbringing as outwardly “perfect,” she endured sexual abuse at a young age—trauma that was never addressed or acknowledged. As an adult, she now recognizes how that pain fueled her addiction, attention-seeking, and self-destructive habits and choices.

Through counseling and faith, Nancy is beginning to understand that her past does not define her future.

“God chose me,” she says. “I didn’t find Him—He found me.”

When asked about the woman God is calling her to be, Nancy doesn’t hesitate.

“I want to be a mature, secure Christian woman—fully submitted to the Lord,” she says. “I want to help other women, share my testimony, and serve others.”

Nancy believes that God is calling her to use her love of cooking to serve the homeless and reach people who feel lost, just as she once did.

To women considering Life Turning Point, Nancy offers this encouragement:                       

“It might feel overwhelming right now, but it’s worth it. If God is telling you this is where you need to be—listen. Be in His will. This program will bless you in ways you can’t imagine. With God, you can do it.”

Nancy’s story is a powerful reminder that no past is too broken, no life too far gone, and no heart beyond restoration. Through faith, structure, and support, a life once marked by pain is now being transformed into one filled with purpose, hope, and healing.

Sister Kelly shares her experience working with Nancy:

“It has been a joy watching Nancy grow in the Lord since she has been here.  She is seeing Him do things for her; things that she cannot do on her own.  She has seen how personal of a God He is.  She is learning about His love!  She is growing in self-discipline!  She sees her need for Him through developing spiritual and practical practices that will help her in her walk with Him. She is taking accountability for her actions in the program, and she has been a positive influence on others. It's been a great pleasure, encouraging her and seeing God move in her life.”