- I remember screaming.

And I ran over to my dad.

And just as I got there, he fell.

And my whole world was justturned upside down that day.

- [Narrator] When DorisWalker was just 12,

her father was murdered in front of her.

- A very troubled family member

came into our family home

and severely injured mymom and shot my father.

And the life I had always known,

died right along with him.

I began to live in denial.

No matter how hard I tried,

I cannot get this vision out of my mind.

I just had to play it out

as though he was out oftown and he'll be back soon.

And I knew he wasn't coming back.

But that was the only way Icould halfway get through it.

- [Narrator] Doris spentyears trying to come to terms

with her father's death.

- My dad was my hero.

He actually was.

He taught me so muchabout the word of God.

He taught me about music.

So he would sing.

He sang in the choir.

My dad was a farmer.

And he'd come home at night

and he would be so tired.

But he was never too tired

to pull us on his knee and talk to us.

- [Narrator] Doris acceptedChrist as a young girl

and sang in her church choir.

But after her father's death,

she began to numb heremotional pain with marijuana.

- Every time I would think about

this dreaded scene wherehe fell on the ground,

I would smoke marijuana.

And I began to smoke it more and more.

Then my body began to crave it.

And by the time I was an adult,

I had a full blown cocaine addiction.

- [Narrator] Doris lefther home and family

and the small town ofWhite House, Tennessee

and began living on thestreets of Nashville.

She did whatever it took tosurvive including prostitution.

- It didn't start right away.

At first I would justsit around other women.

And they would go out andget money and come back.

And I'm thinking wellthat must've been easy.

One time I tried it.

And I made it through it and I thought

well that wasn't as bad as I thought.

And I'd trade myself

to get out of a cold blistering weather.

And I'd trade myselfto get out the hot sun.

- [Narrator] Doris wasarrested numerous times.

But it had no effect on her.

- My life was full of going tojail and getting out of jail.

And selling myself as thoughI was some type of a commodity

to support my habit.

And I was actually in myaddiction for over 26 years.

- [Narrator] When Doris would return home

for short periods or time,

her family and friends would pray for her.

- It's almost as if hercountenance had just fallen.

But you could just tell thatthe insides were hurting.

- [Narrator] For a briefperiod, Doris got married.

But she returned to the streets

when the marriage fell apart.

- I had a husband and two children.

And for awhile I was ableto hold it all together.

And then finally it just fell apart

because I just couldn't do it anymore.

My addiction progressed.

I left him because he was an alcoholic.

And low and behold that's whenmy life really fell apart.

- [Narrator] The next twodecades were a vicious cycle

of addiction and incarceration.

One day, her mother invitedher back to a reunion

at her old church.

- She said, Doris canyou do something for me.

She said we're having ananniversary at our church

and we need you to come on back home

and sing some of the songsthat your dad taught me.

Could you do that for me before I die.

And one morning I could hear my mom.

She was praying so fiercely

that you could almost feel thevibrations coming from her.

She's singing and she'spraying with all her mouth.

♪ Whoa Lord I want you to hear me ♪

and she's praying Goddon't let my daughter

go back to the street.

So I do what I came to do.

I go to the choir rehearsal,

I go to the choir anniversary.

I sing and I praise.

I was just on a spiritual high that night.

And I thought oh my God,there's another kind of high.

I don't have to sell myself.

And I don't have to induce drugs

'cause my body is the temple of God.

- [Narrator] Shortly after that,

Doris ran into her old friend Regina

who told her about a placecalled Magdalen House.

Which ministers to women caught in the web

of the sex trade and addiction.

- She said we got a place for you.

And you can come on in.

So November the ninth,2009 I got my life back.

I got to go into the Magdalen program.

And they took care of me.

They sent me to the dentist.

They sent me to therapy.

They taught me how tolive life on life turns

without the use of drugs and alcohol.

And I got my relationship back with God.

And I remember how to pray again.

So I get high on the word ofGod and on the spirit of God.

And it's just like it's breathtaking.

And I breathe it in.

I haven't had a drug or a drink of liquor

in nine whole years.

And that's just a testamentto how great God is.

- If people can just seethe faithfulness of the Lord

just by hearing herstory, it's all worth it.

Because the Lord is faithful.

What looked like a mess,

what looked like there is no way

that this is gonna get resolved,

the Lord resolved it.

And he resolved it in amighty way, a mighty way.

- [Narrator] Through Magdalen House

and their sisterorganization Thistle Farms,

Doris began a new life.

Doris was eventuallyhired by Thistle Farms

where she now works as anambassador for the organization

and as a sales consultant.

- We help women all across the globe.

And I get to stand in front of people

and tell my life story.

And I get to let womenknow that are in addiction

that God is able,

no matter what you'regoing through in life.

I don't care if it's your health,

if it's cancer, if it's mentalillness, if it's addiction.

No matter what it is, God is able.

He has brought me out.

He has given me a new life.

He has given me my voice back.

I'm able to tell peoplethat no matter what

it's going to be okay.

I'm not saying that I'm nevergonna have problems again.

That's okay.

Because when you got God on your side,

when Jesus is standing there beckoning you

saying come on home.

It's going to be okay.