“Promises are made to be broken… that’s why I am so broken.”
My name is Promise. A few years ago, my life—if you could even call it that—used to be rock bottom hell. I was pregnant, addicted to drugs, consumed by alcohol, and hanging around with people who were lost in their own addictions. I was barely existing. I told people, “Promises are made to be broken, that’s why I am so broken.”
In the spring of 2021, I witnessed a murder that rattled me to my core. In that horrifying moment, I realized how precious life was and I wanted so desperately to get out of my situation. I wanted to live to see my 25th birthday and hold my child. I quit using drugs right then and there, but I still had a long way to go.
After the murder, I started working with Tumbleweed and moved into the Rescue Mission where I lived until I gave birth to my son. Extended relatives cared for him because I wasn’t able to do so myself. Hard doesn’t even begin to describe how heart wrenching it was to be separated from my baby during that time. I didn’t know what to do next.
I’d managed to leave my ‘using’ community, but it felt like walking off a cliff. They were the only family I’d known, and I was terrified of losing that connection, toxic as I knew it was. Could I even find a new, healthy community? I struggled to imagine kind, good people ever wanting to be around someone like me. I felt so alone.
But, I had an Aunt who was successful in her recovery. Her name was Theo and she lived at CLDI’s Hannah House. She was a huge encouragement to me during this time. I remember, once, she saw me sitting outside of the Colonial and brought me food. She told me that, whenever I was ready for help, she’d be there. Finally, I decided to apply to live in the Hannah House too.
Once my application was accepted and while I was waiting for a room to become available, Theo invited me to the Thursday night dinners at the Hannah House and honestly, I was scared and a little overwhelmed because the kind of love I encountered there was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I felt like these women valued me as a person and were genuinely excited to get to know me.
It took months for a room to become available, but eventually I made it and was able to move into the Hannah House! I’m here now and am able to have my precious son with me too. I’m feeling happiness for the first time in ages.
My new community is full of healthy and kind people who have poured into me—sharing the Gospel and telling me truths about a Father in Heaven who loves me and wants a relationship with me. My faith is growing—I’m so grateful for what I have—it actually feels good to be alive.
A Holistic Approach to Healing
CLDI is uniquely positioned to help people in broken situations experience lasting change.
As a community, we strive to come alongside people holistically—not just by addressing one problem or symptom, but by supporting the whole person physically, emotionally, and spiritually in any way we can. We lean into the messy and broken with tangible hope for individuals, families, and communities to flourish through the gospel of Jesus.
Thanks to CLDI’s unstoppable community of monthly givers, Promise is taking strides on a path to new life. But there’s even more to her story—watch your mailbox for Part 2 of her story coming soon.
Help Transform Lives! Join 100Fold Today
100Fold is an unstoppable community of people in the Billings area who believe in this holistic approach of meeting people’s needs and befriending them the way Jesus did.
