Every day life-change

I am continually amazed at the tremendous life-change God brings to our resident families at Hope Alive every day. This week one of our resident moms couldn't wait to announce she had completed all the work required for her external degree program and she could have her high school diploma in hand by year-end. Now she's enrolling for the spring semester at Frederick Community College and just took her placement tests this week. She couldn't wait to tell EVERYONE she had passed her math and english placement tests and was ready to sign up for her spring classes. As we talked about her success, she shared that this was a dream she never thought she'd achieve.

Also this week, another mom's testimony for our Christmas newsletter provided a strong message about the new life God has granted her and her two children. Her son no longer kicks and fights with his teacher, but she received the best report ever on his changed behavior when she went for her parent/teacher conference. Her daughter is getting As and Bs instead of blank papers marked with an F. Check out the Christmas issue online in early December at hopealiveministries.org - you don't want to miss this family's amazing story.

In this Thanksgiving season - and every day - we are especially grateful to God for all He has done and continues to do in the life of this ministry and every family we serve. Thanks for your love and support as we work together to serve families in need.

On a different note ... we have something new and exciting we'd like to share with you just in time for the shopping season! It's the new Hope Alive toolbar - once added to IE or Foxfire, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to Hope Alive - at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar provides hundreds of great coupons and deals!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to Hope Alive. http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/hope-alive. I just purchased my grandson's birthday gift this way and I feel great knowing that I got him exactly what he wanted AND a percentage was going to benefit Hope Alive families. Please pass this along to all of your friends. The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser can make a difference of a lifetime! Until next week ...

Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director

From death to life

Yesterday was a very proud day for us at Hope Alive. One of our resident moms graduated from an intensive outpatient program at a local drug rehabilitation clinic. Five of us proudly watched and cheered as this mom shared her journey from addiction to recovery and was presented with her certificate of completion and words of affirmation from her counselors. As I sat and listened to her recount her story, God reminded me that just a few short months ago, her life hung in the balance between life and death. I remember visiting her in the hospital after a life-threatening relapse and then rejoicing when she called us for help when she “hit the bottom” and desperately wanted to find her way out. The alternatives for her and her children at that time were life-threatening, so we welcomed her to Hope Alive with open arms, lots of love and strict accountability.

She spent the next three months participating in the intensive outpatient treatment program and a family support program, in addition to working toward enrollment at Frederick Community College for the spring semester. She has become an advocate and friend to other women in recovery and a role model for women at Hope Alive with her determination and motivation.

We are so proud of her accomplishments and the victory God has blessed her with in the battle of addiction. She and her children today are healthy, very happy and are well on the road to success and hope of a future. It’s been marvelous to watch God at work in their lives and to see what He can do through the power of His life-changing love. Until next week …

Sue Oehmig
Founder and Executive Director