“ A Mother’s Problem”
Just over twenty years ago, Angelique made a promise that would guide her the rest of her life. Today, she looks back on her time at City Rescue Mission and the valuable foundation it offered her then and her family now.
In 2001, Angelique was roaming the streets of New York, addicted to drugs and pregnant with her daughter. She knew that if she was going to be allowed to keep her daughter, she needed to get help. She wanted change for herself, her unborn daughter as well as her other children. Twenty years ago, she made a promise, “I said to God, ‘If you’re real, please take me out of New York, let me have my baby, I will never use again and I will serve you for the rest of my life.’” The next day, Angelique was on a Greyhound bus to stay with her cousin in Jacksonville, Florida.
On her way to Jacksonville, at a stop in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Angelique went into labor and gave birth to a healthy baby girl at a local hospital. It was at that moment she realized that God heard her. “When they handed me my baby, that is when I knew that God heard me and that He was real!” When Angelique finally made it to Jacksonville, she held true to her promise. Shortly after her arrival, she entered CRM’s LifeBuilders program with her one-month-old daughter.
In keeping with her promise to God, Angelique used her time at CRM to build the foundation she needed to change her life. “Being here [CRM] was the foundation I needed. It helped me see things differently. It helped me forgive and it helped me to heal. CRM showed me love and that I can be loved for who I am despite all of the stuff I did. It helped me understand that God loved me in spite of everything.”
After successfully completing the LifeBuilders program in 2002, Angelique stayed committed to her new, healthy way of life. She was able to get an apartment, work two jobs, and within six months, her other children came to live with her. She knows that without the love of God and the LifeBuilders program, she would not have the life she has today.
Since leaving the Mission, Angelique has chosen to help others that may be facing hardships. She is able to share her testimony in hopes that it will help and encourage them that there is a life worth living. “It is a blessing to know I can make a difference in someone’s life; even if it is just one person.”
Twenty years later, Angelique is still keeping the promise she made to God. She continues to serve Him with a healed heart and full spirit. She is a mother to six children. Her daughter that was with her during her time at CRM is currently in college and working a part-time job. “City Rescue Mission saved my life. It taught me how to be a mother and how to live a productive life. It taught me if you put God first, he will direct your path.”
