Niki grew up with a party going on around her all the time. It was a fun environment and she wanted for nothing . . . but the foundation for addiction was being laid, day by day.
“I grew up in a household where addiction was normal. Life was a party,” she says. “It was never bad. My parents were highly functional addicts. So, I just picked it up with them. But I couldn’t function like them . . .”
Niki entered adulthood and started a family of her own, but addiction repeatedly derailed her life. Finally, when she had lost everything, she saw no choice but to end it all.
“I was suicidal,” she says, remembering the darkest day of her life.
That’s when she looked over and saw a card lying in the middle of the railroad tracks—it read “Nashville Rescue Mission.”
A Place to Heal and Rebuild—Nashville Rescue Mission
The Mission is a beacon of hope to all who suffer, thanks to the support of many caring friends like you. And that’s what Niki felt when she heard a kind voice on the other end of the line say she was indeed welcome. “I’m on my way,” she said, and set off walking.
“I just had to get to Nashville Rescue Mission,” she said, feeling a new determination in her heart. “This time was completely different—I was ready.”
Safe at the Mission, Niki received a good meal and settled in for the life transformation she had been hoping and praying for.
Lifesaving Services, Life-Changing Program
Nashville Rescue Mission’s Life Recovery Program focuses on a person’s entire well-being—physical, mental, spiritual, emotional, and social. Restoring the whole person through a Christian approach helps people overcome everything from homelessness to addiction while gaining the biblical insight they need to lead a productive life.
Niki wanted and needed this holistic approach to achieve freedom and launch a new beginning in life.
She received employment counseling, too, and landed a job where her caring heart is a comfort to others each day. “I’m a certified medical assistant, the person who checks you in before you see the doctor. Sometimes people are hurting when they come in. They’re not feeling at their best,” she says with a smile. “It takes patience. Patience with patients.”
Looking Forward to an Abundant Life in Christ
The future is bright for Niki. She is trusting God in all things and praying for restored relationships with her grown children. “Addiction tore me apart from my kids. I was lucky to have family to help . . . but my kids didn’t want their granny or great-grandma. They wanted their mom. That is still emotional for me, but I have to put it in God’s hands because if he can fix my soul, he can definitely fix that relationship.”
We thank God for the blessings He has wrought in Niki’s life and pray that this miracle will happen a million times over in the days ahead. Thank you for your support that is helping save and change lives here at Nashville Rescue Mission!
