Sally came to the Mission suffering from a lifetime of mental, spiritual, emotional, and sexual abuse. Her parents went through a difficult divorce and when her mom remarried, Sally suffered more abuse which led to low self esteem. “I felt like I was the family doormat. I was told I was worthless and that I was nothing.”

Sally never allowed herself to cope with that trauma and instead chose to deal with the hurt and the pain with avoidance, marijuana, and alcohol. “I was taught that when you or someone else is being abused, you put your head down, your blinders on, and keep your mouth shut.”

The lack of dealing with her abuse and trauma caused Sally found herself in a constant pattern of self sabotage. This included an abusive marriage that lasted 11 years. During this time, Sally also struggled in the workplace. Rather than deal with conflict and frustration in a healthy way, Sally would just quit.

Eventually, she began working overseas with the military as a preschool teacher. “At some point, all the stress and strain just broke me. I pretty much gave up on life,” says Sally. 

When COVID-19 hit, all foreigners were sent home and Sally flew home to Shreveport. Still suffering from her breakdown, she found her way to the Mission. She knew she wanted healing from her past so in late 2020, Sally joined the Mission’s New Beginnings Program. Slowly, Sally found herself moving away from the victim mentality to seeing herself as an overcomer. “When I came here, they kept talking about Jeremiah 29:11. Now, I know that I have hope and a future.” 

Sally has now graduated our program, has a full-time job that she loves, and has moved into her own apartment. Check out more of Sally’s story here.