I WAS RAISED IN A

CHRISTIAN HOME WHERE I WENT

TO CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY AND

EVERY WEDNESDAY, BUT WHEN I

WAS 13 YEARS OLD, I WAS

BABY-SITTING, AND A FRIEND

OF MINE ASKED ME IF HE COULD

COME OVER AND SEE ME AND

HANG OUT.

I SAID YES.

THIS GUY CAME OVER AND HE

ENDED UP RAPING ME WHEN I

WAS 13 YEARS OLD.

I FELT SUCH SHAME AND SUCH

JUST DISGUST, AND I FELT

LIKE EVERYTHING HAD BEEN

STRIPPED FROM ME, THAT I

DIDN'T THINK THAT THE LORD

COULD POSSIBLY WANT ME.

IT JUST WENT DOWNHILL.

I STARTED DOING DRUGS EVERY

CHANCE I COULD GET TO JUST

NUMB THE FEELING OF PAIN

THAT I HAD, FROM AGES 14 TO

19.

I WAS EXTREMELY ADDICTED TO

DOING DRUGS AND DRINKING,

AND I WOULD GIVE MYSELF TO

GUYS CONTINUOUSLY, JUST

LOOKING FOR SOME TYPE OF

FULFILLMENT, SOME TYPE OF

LOVE THAT I WAS SEARCHING

FOR.

I ENDED UP EXTREMELY

ADDICTED TO COCAINE AND

HEROIN, AND WAS SHOOTING UP

EVERY DAY, MULTIPLE TIMES A

DAY.

MY PARENTS HAD ENROLLED ME

IN COLLEGE, AND IT WASN'T BY

CHOICE.

THEY WERE LIKE, YOU REALLY

NEED TO GO.

I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY HAD NO

CLUE WHAT WAS GOING ON.

I THINK THEY WERE JUST

LIVING IN THEIR OWN LITTLE

WORLD, LIA THEIR OWN LITTLE

BUBBLE THAT WHITNEY IS

OKAY.

THE ADDICTION WAS COMPLETELY

TAKING OVER ME.

EVERY LITTLE MONEY MY

PARENTS WOULD GIVE ME, I

WOULD SPEND ON DRUGS.

I SPENT $2800 IN TWO WEEKS

ON HEROIN AND COCAINE.

MY PARENTS CAME TO VISIT ME,

AND MY DAD IMMEDIATELY

KNOW.

HE SAID, YOU LOOK LIKE A

JUNKY.

YOU ARE A JUNKY.

HE BROKE DOWN AND STARTED

CRYING, AND WE TALKED ALL

NIGHT LONG.

AND THEN HE TOOK ME HOME.

AND HE TOOK ME TO REHAB, AND

I WAS THERE FOR FIVE DAYS,

AND ALL THEY DID WAS DETOX

MY SYSTEM AND PUT ME BACK

OUT AND SAY, COME TO THESE

12 STEP MEETINGS, AND

IMMEDIATELY AFTER I HAD

GOTTEN OUT, I GOT HIGH.

MY MOM HAD INVITED ME TO GO

TO A CONFERENCE.

I WENT AND BOUGHT ABOUT $500

WORTH OF DRUGS, FROM MONEY I

HAD STOLEN, AND TOOK IT ON

THE AIRPLANE WITH ME, AND

GOT HIGH ON THE WAY THERE.

AND SHOT UP ONCE I WAS

THERE.

AND AT THIS CONFERENCE, MY

MOM AND KAREN WHEATON, THEY

WERE PREVIOUSLY FRIENDS, AND

THEY HOOKED UP AGAIN AND

THEY WERE TALKING.

SHE SAID I REALLY THINK THAT

YOU'RE DAUGHTER IS THE

REASON THAT WE WERE HERE

THIS WEEK.

SO THROUGHOUT THE WEEK THEY

STARTED PRAYING FOR ME.

I DIDN'T KNOW ALL OF THIS

UNTIL AFTERWARDS, BUT THEY

WERE MINISTERING TO ME

THROUGH THEIR PRAYERS.

I THINK IT WAS A WEDNESDAY,

YEAH, IT WAS A WEDNESDAY,

AND MY MOM AND I HAD GOTTEN

IN A HUGE FIGHT.

AND I FELL ASLEEP ON THE

COUCH IN THAT HOTEL ROOM.

AND MY MOM JUST BEGAN

PRAYING THAT NIGHT -- SHE

STAYED UP UNTIL 4:00 IN THE

MORNING, JUST PRAYING AND

INTERCEDING OVER ME.

AND THE NEXT MORNING, I WOKE

UP, AND I WAS COMPLETELY

DELIVERED AND SET FREE, AND

I HAD NO CRAVING FOR THE

DRUGS ANYMORE.

I DIDN'T GO THROUGH ONE

WITHDRAWAL.

THE LORD DELIVERED ME, AND

THEN HE TOOK MY HAND AND

JERKED ME INTO A DEEP

RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.

I MEAN, I JUST FELT LIKE I

HAD TO BE SUBMERSEED.

IF I HUNDRED DOLLAR HAD BEEN

SUBMERSED, I PROBABLY WOULD

HAVE GOTTEN BACK TO THE

DRUGS.

IT STARTED THE DEEP PROCESS

OF HEALING.

I JUST GOT MARRIED THIS

YEAR, ON MARCH 13th, TO A

MAN WHO WAS A VIRGIN, AND

THAT WAS JUST A HUGE

TESTIMONY IN ITSELF OF THE

RESTORATION THAT GOD

BRINGS.

IT WAS A HUGE DEAL TO ME

BECAUSE OF MY PAST.

IT WAS GOD'S LOVE AND HOW HE

DOESN'T HOLD US CAPTIVE TO

THE PAST.

AND HE DOESN'T REMEMBER OUR

SINS, AND HE FORGIVES US.

IF YOU ARE DEALING WITH

SHAME AND PAIN FROM THE

ADDICTIONS AND THE LOSS OF A

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD OR

NEVER HAVING A RELATIONSHIP

WITH GOD, I WOULD SAY THAT

THERE IS HOPE AND THAT THERE

IS FREEDOM.

AND TO NEVER BELIEVE THE

LIFE THE ENEMY THAT YOUR

LIFE IS WITHOUT PURPOSE,

BECAUSE THERE IS A PURPOSE

FOR EVERY PERSON ON THE FACE

OF THIS EARTH.

AND THAT GOD HAD A DESTINY

WHEN SHE CREATED EVERY ONE

OF US.