“Someday I would like to live in my own house again and have room for all my family and grandkids to come and stay or visit with me. I would like to have a part in all of them getting to know Christ and be closer to God.”

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Thalia grew up in Pittsburg and while she loved her Daddy the way most young girls do, she was confused and hurt by the things he did. Seeing him hanging out of the window on the sixth floor of the apartment she grew up in, sick from drinking too much, frightened her. Being introduced to “aunties” in other towns when she and her brother would travel with her dad only to find out later these were not aunties at all made her sad. Scared and lonely Thalia turned to the wrong crowd for acceptance and drugs and alcohol for comfort.

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For 30 some years Thalia lived a life on the run from reality. Thalia was the life of the party and the party life was seemingly the only way to cope with the life she had been given.

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“My mom kept all us kids in church, but I just didn’t know who God was.”

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Thalia kept it together for decades, working hard during the day and partying even harder at night. Eventually she couldn’t hold down a job. What started out as a party girl ended up a woman addicted to crack cocaine. Crack has no boundary, it will consume every fiber of you promising to love you and help you but cruelly, slowly killing you all the while. For a short time she quit and went to Teen Challenge for 6 months. She began to find out who God was but would look out her window and see people partying across the street… only to find herself right back out there for nearly another decade.

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“I had a problem with the rules. I just wouldn’t keep the rules and so I kept going back to using but this time I made up my mind I was going to stop. I was going to follow the rules no matter what.”

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Nearly 4 years ago Thalia hit rock bottom. No job, no apartment, no hope, just an insatiable thirst for crack. The only way to survive was sleeping on the couch of a roach and rodent infested apartment trading herself for her precious crack. Scratching her skin raw from the bugs and mice she felt she was literally living in hell. After almost a year in that hell she left and got help from Gateway To Change, a treatment center just a few blocks from Hope Street. She followed all the rules, she learned about addiction, and she followed the counselors caring advice and applied to live at Hope Street after finishing her 6 month program.

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“I just know God is with me, I can feel His presence. I know He is forgiving and He loves me no matter what.”

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Since coming to Hope Street 2 ½ years ago Thalia continues to be transformed. “God has changed me. He took my cravings away, helped me see how to let go of my anger, put people in my life to help me get thru the hard times like when my mom passed. He helps me see how other people feel and how to be more loving towards them.” Yes he has Thalia and we are all the more blessed because of it! Thank you Thalia, and thank you Jesus!!