“I went from being a stay-at-home mom to a full-blown addict, homeless, addicted to meth—and asking myself, ‘How did I get here?’”

“I missed having a childhood. I often took care of my mom because she was drunk. I also battled headaches, anxiety, and depression.”

“My boyfriend and I got married at the courthouse when I was 18,” said Sonia. “Our daughter Chelsea was born right before my 19th birthday. Four years later, our daughter Lyndsay was born. I thought life was good.”

But a series of tragic events led Sonia down a dark path. Her grandfather murdered her grandmother, and then tried to kill himself. Her mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. And when Sonia discovered her husband was having an affair—that was the last straw.

“Suddenly I became a single mom with two girls. I was empty, depressed, and contemplated suicide. I didn’t know how to pick up the pieces and I ended up jumping right back into another relationship.”

Three months later Sonia was pregnant. They quickly got married. Between his son, her two daughters, and Peyton, their new baby girl, Sonia’s family doubled. With increasing stress, Sonia relied more and more on the pain pills the doctor had prescribed for her debilitating headaches to numb her feelings of sadness and bitterness.

“I realized I had become a full-blown addict when my doctor got arrested, and I could no longer get my meds,” said Sonia. “Until then, I had hidden my drug use. But after my mom died, I couldn’t hold it together. I started using meth, and things went from bad to worse.”
“The next several years are a fog. I thought my kids would be better off without me. I didn’t have a job. I had nowhere to live. I wanted to die. I missed seeing Chelsea graduate high school, but I was there when she got married. When she told me she was pregnant, I was still in the midst of my mess. All it took was feeling my grandson kick for the first time. I knew then I had to get help.”

“I never really had a relationship with God,” said Sonia. “But in rehab, every time a church bus pulled up, I was on it.” And when I finished rehab, my counselor suggested I get into a long-term program. She told me about Nashville Rescue Mission.”

“I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I got there. I just knew I was believing God for a miracle because I desperately needed one. When I got to the Mission, I was welcomed with open arms. I knew then I was right where I was supposed to be.”

“In the program, I learned how to have a relationship with God and how to build relationships with other people,” said Sonia. “I learned how to communicate, and how to put my trust in Him. He transformed me.”

Today, Sonia is quick to share how the Lord has restored and blessed her. “I read the Bible … not because someone is making me, but because I want to know Him more. God has shown me that He is real and He is at work in my life. I want everyone to know it—especially my kids.”
“I have two precious grandsons. I’ve grown closer to my three girls. We regularly attend church together. I never imagined when I walked through the doors of the Mission that my life could be so dramatically different. I’m grateful.”
Today, Sonia helps others do what she once considered impossible—recover. Sonia oversees the admission process of women to the Mission’s Life Recovery Program.

“I can relate to the women who call looking for help. Many of them have given up. But I tell them there is something worth living for, and life can be different. They just need to trust God and believe in His promises. I’m living proof.” 

Watch Sonia’s Story