January 2018 Newsletter

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Boundaries Bring New Freedom

Without foundation, Gina was subject to her own reasoning and desires. Her father had not been in the home since she was six-years-old. She was raised by her single mother. Gina said her mother was poor and could not afford the nice things that she wanted. There was a basic instinct to simply have what one sees. Boundaries were not understood. She stole small things like socks and sunglasses, getting caught three separate times. She went to juvenile hall at 15, then to a group home until 18. In high school, she had a waitressing job. As an adult, she wanted to make more money. In a newspaper (not a local one), she saw an ad hiring women for an escort service. She had no idea what that meant. Even after the company explained the job, she took it. They were preying on naive girls that wanted money, to be accepted, to feel grown up. Gina said, “They took advantage of me, putting me into situations that I was not comfortable with.” Her very first client introduced her to drugs to remove natural inhibitions; it was a part of that culture. She had to experience wrong to acknowledge it, only then, it was too late. She stayed with that job a few months, but by then drugs were a part of her life. There were no limits. Her boyfriend was using other drugs. She said, “I was just curious so easy to get. I was using drugs already, so I thought, ‘What the hey’”. He moved out of state, because his mom paid for treatment. She moved into her own place. Gina said, “I got more into drugs because of government housing that was free for one year, only paying electricity. I had a job and kept the money.”

Gina needed to experience the alternative, better lifestyle. She found it at our Samaritan Inn. She said, “It had a lot of rules, structure. I didn’t like it at first, because it was too restricting. I got used to them. If you follow them, they’re not too hard.” When she heard the Truth about life, she knew it and responded. She was rescued from addiction and changed into a new person, rejecting the old lifestyle. She felt the presence of the Lord upon her in chapel. In a particular message a volunteer here preached, Gina said, “’If there were sin in Heaven, that would ruin it.’ And that just jumped out at me.” That is what she had really been longing for. Gina accepted the Lord and began her new life. After about three months here, she got a job as a cook in a local restaurant. In another three months, she was living in her own apartment nearby. With her first paycheck, she bought a bicycle for riding to work and back to Samaritan Inn, as she says, a supportive place and one with friends. Gina has a verse that describes her life: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11. Boundaries, indeed, bring new freedom.