Samaritan Women

Community AfterCARE Resources

"Assisting Ex-Inmates to live Godly lives."

Testimonies:              Stephanie

 

 

Hi, my name is Stephanie Young, and I am 23 years old. When I was 14 years old I got pregnant. After my mom’s initial shock, she was very supportive and encouraging. She knew that we would be able to get through this. Yes, we. She didn’t tell me that it was my problem deal with it, or anything like that. She told me that she would help me in anyway that she could, and she did. My mom insisted that, even though I was going to be a teen mother, I still needed to finish school. When my high school found out that I was pregnant they sent me to continuation, because that is just what they did to pregnant teens. I had my daughter, Samantha, when I was 15 and my mom was great, encouraging me and supporting me. When Samantha was a month old I took and passes the California High School Equivalency Exam. I was then able to get a good job, with benefits at Vons grocery store. I worked there for two years. Everything was going good, considering I was a teen mother; I had a good job, and was close to my family. Then it all went downhill. I stopped going around my family because they didn’t like my current boyfriend. Now I can see why, They could see what I couldn’t, or wouldn’t see. Sometimes, your family, “can just tell” when something, or someone isn’t right for you. He eventually started beating me. By then I was so distanced from my family, and ashamed, that I didn’t even tell them. I just let it happen. I would still let my daughter spend the weekends at my moms and thank God that I did. One weekend when she was there, the house we were living in was raided by the police, and I was arrested. I was pregnant with my son at this time. I was clean, and eventually released from jail because no charges were filled on me, but C.P.S. was involved. Because there had been other kids at the house during the raid. All 6 of those children were taken into C.P.S. custody. Thank God though, that Samantha was at my moms. The C.P.S. worker agreed to let my mom keep her until I was settled somewhere better. My mom then filed for and was granted temporary guardianship. I had my son and then started using Meth off and on. I got pregnant again, and that pregnancy ended in miscarriage, when my boyfriend badly beat me. A few months later I got pregnant again, and this time, I had another girl. My boyfriend continued to beat me, and where we were living was not a very good place for our kids, so his family stepped in and took my son, Christopher Jr. and my daughter, Kristina. That is when I really got into the Meth. Eventually my boyfriend and I split up. I ended up getting another boyfriend, who was also using, and continued, in the dope. He and I were working during the day to pay our bills, and stealing at night to pay for our habit. I was getting tired of the dope life though. I could see that it was going nowhere, and I was missing my kids, and my family. But did I stop using? No. I started using more, trying to get high enough so that I didn’t feel anything. Finally it all caught up with me. My current boyfriend and I were arrested on February 6th and I was facing 8 years 8 months in prison. In jail I became clean and now being able to think clearly for the first time in years, realized that I didn't want my life to end like this. I started praying to Jesus, asking him to give me a second chance, a chance to turn my life around. I was saved in Jail, when Bill Glass Ministries came to the jail for a weekend in April. Jesus answered my prayers in may. My grandmother came to see me and she told me that my aunt that had been into drugs for years was doing great clean and sober. She sent my aunt to see me and my aunt told me about Samaritan women the program that had helped her to get clean and closer to God. My aunt asked Samaritan Women if they could help me and they said yes. This was the answer to my prayers. I was sentenced to only 3 years probation with me being released to Samaritan women. Thank God. NO PRISON! Jesus was giving me the second chance I had asked for. With the determination and the willpower that Jesus blessed me with, I am still currently in Samaritan Women, and have been since, May 19th. Through Samaritan Women, I am now speaking with several members of my family, and building a relationship with them again. Hopefully soon, I will be able to prove to my mom that I am getting my life back on track. Once I do this, I will be able to see my Samantha again. I can’t wait, but I respect my mom for doing what is right for my daughter, when I wasn’t there to do it. I am still unable to see my other two children, but hopefully, with Gods help I will eventually be able to work that out as well. I hope that as I go through the Samaritan Women program, I will be able to reestablish good relationships with my children, and my family. Down the like, I plan on going to college, so that I will be able to get a good job. I hope that someday I will be able to have my children live with me, but not until I know that I can give them everything they need. I thank Samaritan Women for being there, because through them, God gave me a second chance at life. Remember that with God on your side you can do anything. I know I can.