Shelly's Story

She was a reserved, polite girl. There wasn’t the rebelliousness we struggled with in most of the Haven of Hope (HOH) girls. So why was she here you may ask. Shelly had grown up in the projects, her mom was emotionally unstable and abused drugs, her dad was an alcoholic, and she had been molested. So it was decided that she would be a high risk child to have in the less structured environment of the Mansion.

Shelly had been won to God through ‘Street Rage’ and was mentored by the people who started it. She seemed to have an unusually strong love for God than most children her age. And was quick to stand up for what she believed to be right. She wasn’t as likely to be in trouble because of peer pressure as the other girls she lived with at HOH.

We watched Shelly grow in knowledge of the Word, and blossom under the love, and structure we provided her. When she completed the program at Haven of Hope it wasn’t easy to see her return to the environment she had grown up in. We prayerfully kept in touch with her to give encouragement. We encouraged Shelly to stay in school when she talked about quitting due to problems she was having there. And when she left her family and moved into the home of some godly people she attended church with in another city we were thrilled.

Considering the factors from Shelly’s childhood it was a miracle in itself to see her graduate from high school. But, for her to graduate with honors was an amazing feat and testimony of the astonishing young lady she has become.

While waiting for college to start Shelly texted me one day and excitedly told me she had been hired at Wendy’s fast food restaurant. Then a few weeks later she texted again and said she doesn’t like her job and was planning to quit. I asked if she has another job lined up and she replied that she didn’t. So I talked to her about her performance on that job affecting the type of job that might be available for her when she moves on. We discussed how she can set her mind to be the best employee they had, about her possibly being the one to lead one of her peers to God, and how that could be the purpose of her being there. So she decided she would work hard at the job and pray for God’s guidance.

Shelly is an unusual young lady and seems thankful for the advice given her. She is still working at Wendy’s and attending college to become an accountant. She is involved with her church, is active with ‘Street Rage’ in helping reach other teens that are growing up in the same environment as she did, and is praying for God to direct her in His will. A while ago she told me that she is doing wonderful in her job and college.

Though we know we have helped others, seeing the success Shelly is encourages us to continue reaching out to other young women who have had tough things thrown at them in life. We feel confident we can see others reach out and grasp the help that we offer through Haven of Hope Girl’s Home.