If thoughts like these have never darkened your world, then count your blessings. You probably haven't had to endure the paralysis that discouragement and hopelessness can bring. You more than likely have never lied in bed searching for a reason to get out of it. But this is the point to which Zandria had come.

Raised in a disfunctional, abusive environment, Zandria looked for an escape. Unfortunately, the fastest and easiest one available was also one of the most destructive. She turned to drugs and alcohol as a sort of self-medication to assuage the pain of her past.

It should be no surprise, then, that Zandria's “escape” led only to her entrapment. From 1989 through 1996, the streets of Orange County became her on-again, off-again dwelling place. Since 1996, she has bounced from the streets to motels and back again, wandering aimlessly toward the point of despair she so aptly described at the beginning of this article.

But in July of 2000, something extraordinary happened. Zandria was living in a motel and three months pregnant with her now three-year-old daughter, Tatiyana. Pressure was mounting from every side. But somehow, through all the confusion, and without the benefit of a religious upbringing, Zandria realized that only God could help her. She cried out to Him for help and He heard her. Within a matter of months, Zandria was delivered from her long-time addiction to drugs and alcohol without the intervention of anyone but the Lord!

In June of 2001, through other residents of the motel she was living in, Zandria was referred to the Orange County Rescue Mission. Through the intercession of the Mental Wellness arm of our Strong Beginnings Program, she has made tremendous strides towards her recovery and, since August, 2003, has been living in her own apartment. She also attends a local church where she receives regular doses of moral support.

Zandria has even more reason to be thankful to God. Her 10-year-old son, Seyvion has recently been reunited with his mother. Zandria is ecstatic that her family is together once again and her outlook for the future has brightened. Soon, she plans to attend cosmetology school and obtain her liscense.

Zandria has come a long way from the days she was saying, “What's the point?” Reflecting on what was going through her mind when she first made contact with OCRM, she says,

“I was trying to deal with a lot of stuff by myself. I was doing this alone...I would have relapsed, I'm certain of it, because it was too much for me to deal with...But then they came and helped me. I started getting therapy. They helped me get on medication. They got us off the streets—got my financial situation established. My son is home. He's been home for 3 weeks now. I'm sure that if it wasn't for the Rescue Mission, he wouldn't be here. I'm certain that I would be out there using. I'm so grateful to the Rescue Mission. I feel like it's a blessing from God.”

Please remember that none of the things you have just read would be possible without the caring support of friends who identify with the cause of reaching the Least, the Last and the Lost of Orange County. Thank you!