I'll start by telling a little about myself. I'm 41 years old. At 26, I started going to prison. I've been out for 4 years; 6 terms and 4 violations later. I was sitting one day after getting high, looking out my door, when one of my dope friends came walking up my driveway. With her was this beautiful woman, all healthy looking because she just started using again, after being clean for a year and a half. Valerie is her name. Now she's my beautiful baby boy, Cash's mom. Valerie is 26 years old.

That day she came into my life, I knew it was an important event in my life. For two years we used and did whatever we needed to do to get high. We lived here and there. I even ran on my parole because I owed a lot of money. We went to Colorado. Then when I realized I couldn't even get a job or an apartment in my name, I came back, paid my debt and started using again.

Then Valerie came up pregnant. We were still using. The day my son Cash was born, we only had 2 days clean. We had him at home. I delivered him on the bathroom floor. We went to the hospital which is when CPS (Child Protective Services) stepped in. To be honest with you all, I thank God every day since then for CPS.

Cash was born 1-19-10 and on 1-27-10 we stepped in the door at LifeChangers looking only to get our court card signed. What we found was, and is, our Lord Jesus Christ. People told us the odds of getting Cash back were very slim. Without God and our faith, these odds would have been right. Well, here it is 11-5-10 and we've had Cash home with us for 2 months. Thanks to God, Mike and Susan for showing us the way and believing in us. Thanks to all the girl's at New Hope for supporting me and my family. God Bless you all. Thank you from James, Valerie and Baby Cash.

UPDATE - 4/17/11, Last night we spent the first night in our new house. This is my second testimonial. I'm still clean, of course. My son Cash is 15 months old. Our case with CPS has been closed since 3/30/11. My job is going good. Now our life is good; thank you Lord Jesus. We owe everything to God. We are still active in our church. Our blessings just keep coming!

I am an addict who, by the grace of God, has now been clean and serene for over 2 years. Just recently, the Lord has also delivered me from another long-time addiction, tobacco. On August 7th, 2009, I went to the altar, got on my knees, and asked Him to deliver me from this addiction. Praise Him! I have not wanted a cigarette since that night. I truly believe that His will, not mine, is the only way. I just hope that after reading what He has done in my life, you will see that God can do anything you ask of Him as long as you believe He can and have faith that He will! Praise the Lord! Everyday, all the time!! Respectfully submitted, Lisa L.

My dear beloved heroin,
The reason for this letter is to inform you that I filed for divorce. I no longer want to see you, be around you or ever smell you. I was loyal to you and yet you lied to me. You stole my dignity, self-respect and my innocence. I was true to your game like a soldier. I robbed, lied and cheated for you. Well, let me say, lots of things have happened in my life since I last saw you. I've been doing things the opposite of what you showed me. I've been going to these meeting called A.A. 12 Steps and N.A. I met someone there. Yeah, I've heard of Him before but I just didn't pay close attention. You see, a long time ago, He had sent me a message. He warned me about you. He said you were no good for me, but once again, I didn't want to listen. Hmmm, little did I know, this person has restored me back to sanity and forgave me for my ways. He has been putting back those pieces you broke in my heart throughout the years. What do you know about that? You only know how to kill, steal and destroy. Anyway, back to the main reason of this letter. He has been giving me so much. I'm so grateful for His gifts and all for free. He doesn't ask for anything in return, however, I love Him unconditionally. He is in my heart like a tattoo. Only He can judge me. Well, this will be the last time you'll hear from me. I got things to do with my new homie, lover, friend - Jesus Christ, Men of Men, King of Kings, better known as God.
Yours truly, Luz, Ex-Wife
P.S. And you said that I would never do better than you. Yeah, right!!

My name is Johnnie Rae. I was born in Pomona Valley Hospital and raised in the cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario, the west-end of San Bernardino County. I was born in December of 1982 and I'm 26 years old and raised in a very addictive family. I'm sitting in my room right now in May of 09 and for the first time in 26 years, I'm happy! I've been in my own addiction for 16 years. I have an 8 year old son named Seth who I left at the age of 2; I became my mother. You know, I've always believed in God, but today I fell in love with him! Jesus has blessed me in so many ways. I'm clean and sober and June 20th, 2009, I'll have one year clean! Life is awesome today. I have my son in my life and my mom and dad who are also clean and sober! I'm done living the life of crimes, streets and gangs. Today I'm out of prison and ready to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. I used to never talk about Jesus because I was afraid of what people would think. Today I don't care! Without Jesus, I wouldn't be here writing a little version of my testimony! Romans 7:14-21 is one of my favorites because it's so true; I never knew why I kept on practicing the things that I knew were wrong. I guess that road was much easier. So today, I'm blessed to be a member of LifeChangers in Beaumont. Today, I love life and I love me! Let go and let God! Thanks, Johnnie Rae.

Let Go and Let God. Hello, my name is Antoinette Susan A. I am 54 years old and I am a woman after God's own heart. I grew up in a typically mexican family of dysfunction. There was no communication but there was a lot of addictions. My parents were alcoholics and very abusive towards each other. I grew up so dysfunctional and at an early age started drinking and experiencing different drugs. I thought that was a way of life. I started getting into abusive relationships and thought they had to hit me if they loved me cause that's what my parents showed me. I started taking downers, reds and alcohol, then whites. Then came the big stuff; King Heroine, which I thought was my god and made him my god for many years. I was so in bondage by satan; I tried everything to try and fill this void in my heart that I started having relationships with women. I really thought I was a lesbian. I started going to prison at an early age and couldn't seem to stay out because of my addiction. I had so many strongholds in my life and I really felt that was a way of life because I really didn't know any better. I received Jesus as my Lord and Savior in 1992 but never got into the word (Bible); I didn't gave a personal relationship with Jesus but today, I am a woman of God. By His amazing grace, He save a wretch like me. Then, the Word of the Lord came to my saying "before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nations, Jeremiah 1:4-5". When this word came to me it was telling me that God had a plan for my life then the Word of Jeremiah 29:11-14, 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, " and will bring you back from captivity. This alone brought me to my knees and I started seeking with all my heart and I found Him. He has changed my heart of stone into a new heart of flesh. Who would ever believe that God could change someone like me and who ever reads this that knows who I was, I am here to tell you that there is a God and His name is Jesus Christ and there is nothing impossible for Him. I know that God is going to use me for His ministry and I thank God for bringing me to LifeChangers, a little church in the middle of a little town named Beaumont, with a big testimony for the Glory of God. I give thanks to our pastors Mike and Susan who give and feed us the true Word of God. We are so blessed to be part of this ministry. Please give Jesus Christ a chance and see the change to come. I am not what I ought to be; I am not what I wish to be; I am not even what I hope to be; But by the cross of Christ, I am not what I was. Amen. --Antoinette A.

What my Lord Jesus Christ has done for me is brought me out of a life of drug addiction, abusive relationships and doing crimes which lead me to jail and finally prison; a life of being a soldier for satan, living in darkness, always reaching for things and people that would fill a void I felt in my life. Jesus is the answer. He has brought me out of darkness, into the light and given me a life that is worth living today. I am a true princess today because I belong to the King of Kings.

Before moving to Beaumont, I lived in Ontario, California. When I moved here I really wasn't ready for the change. I've been an alcoholic for more than 19 years. I'm so very grateful that I found a new way of life. I've been a member of LifeChangers since 11/2008 and I must say that Pastor Mike and Susan are truly a blessing in my life and recovery. It seems like when I'm really going through hard times, they are always there to listen. I truly believe that if I would not have found LifeChangers, that I would be either back in prison, dead or on the street again. Every time I think of giving up, I think of my two daughters Briana and Mariah and I also think of my pastor Mike and his wonderful wife Susan. I enjoy and look forward to going there every week. Sometimes I feel really broken inside and very lonely but as soon as I walk into LifeChanagers and see these two wonderful welcoming faces, it all fades away. I have honestly changed my way of thinking, thanks to LifeChangers. Praise God!

Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood but you brought us to a place of great abundance. Psalm 66:12    I first came to LifeChangers about 2 months ago. I had been searching the Beaumont area for some sort of 12 step program. I had been living in my van for the past 4 months, jobless and homeless, holding a sign on the off-ramp that said "Homeless, Hungry and Need Work". I was able to make enough money on the off-ramp to take care of bills that would otherwise land me back in jail. In the 3 months I spent on the off-ramp, only one person offered me work and on Monday, he didn't show. It's been one disappointment after another. During this time, my drinking and drug use were progressively getting out of control; not that it was before I become homeless and jobless. I was getting drunk every day. Drinking 6 to 8 quarts of beer every day and using speed at least twice a week along with my marijuana use. My girlfriend who is pregnant with our unborn son was really getting fed up with it all, mostly my drinking and I was at risk of losing them both if I didn't get some help with my drinking and drug use. So I began to search for help concerning my drug and alcohol use and if you know anything about Beaumont, it's not an easy task. I did manage to find two, LifeChangers being one. A friend of mine happened to be driving by LifeChangers just as they were letting out and told me about it. I told my girlfriend that I may have found a meeting. So on a Wednesday night, not realizing that the meetings were on Wednesday and Sunday at 6, I went looking and found the place. I called my girlfriend and let her know that I found it and when the meetings were. She said "today is Wednesday" and it just happened to be 6 pm. The trouble was that I had been drinking that day and had a full quart of beer in my back pack. I didn't have the heart or the nerve to tell her that I couldn't go in because I had been drinking. She urged me to go, nonetheless, and I lied and told her I would go but went back to my van instead and drank my quart of beer. The next day she asked me how the meeting went and I said it was cool. She knew I was lying. However, the following Sunday I did show up and discovered that I found more than I could have ever expected. Right away I knew that this was where I needed to be. God led me to LifeChangers because He knows my heart and that I had the desire to make some major changes in my life. Not only did I find a 12 step program, but I also found a fellowship with God. I also discovered that there was not just one pastor but two pastors. How cool is that? Pastor Mike and his wife Pastor Susan, whom I believe founded LifeChangers Recovery, have a genuine concern of the well-being of every person who enters this fellowship. I share a common goal with everyone in this fellowship and that is to get clean and sober and to get right with my higher power which is God. Pastors Mike and Susan have taken a genuine interest in my situation as they do with each and every soul that comes to this fellowship and stepped up to the plate to help me back on my feet. Pastor Mike gives me work when he can and is also helping me with other living arrangements so I don't have to live in my van anymore, at least for now. I've been with LifeChangers for only a couple of months now and I'm still fighting with my demons but not nearly as much as I was when I first began. So far, since I began with LifeChangers, I've only missed two meetings. I look forward to the meetings every week. As soon as Pastor Mike opens his mouth, he has my full attention and that's because he delivers such a strong message and besides that, he'll say something straight out of left-field and it's usually something humorous but always pertains to his message. LifeChangers has definitely influenced changes in my life along with the help of God and constant prayer. LifeChangers hasn't given up on me, even though it feels like I'm not reaching my goals fast enough and I must keep in mind that recovery is a life-time process. I will continue working on reaching my goals and to get my life straight because I have the armor of God and the love and guidance of Pastors Mike and Susan along with the fellowship of LifeChangers! God Bless.

When I was 12 years old, I ended up pregnant. My mom and dad owned a bar. I am the youngest out of eight with 6 brothers and 1 older sister. I was into smoking pot and drinking and other drugs. I was lost for a long time and scared. My mom didn't notice I was pregnant until I was 5 months along; she was devastated when she found out because she was always at the bar and didn't notice. She made me get an abortion at 5 months; she also made me keep the secret from my dad. At 49 years old I found Jesus; it turned my life around. I've been in prison off and on for 15 years. When I found Jesus at LifeChangers in Beaumont, my life changed; I changed. I love myself today. Before, I thought I wasn't worthy of anything. Today, I know I'm somebody and I am worthy. Thank you LifeChangers for saving my life. Today I have 4 beautiful children, 3 girls and 1 boy.