09/30/2026
As September comes to a close, so does National Recovery Month. All month long, we have shared stories of men and women whose lives remind us that recovery is possible, restoration is real, and God is still changing lives.
For our final testimony of the month, we want you to meet Bri. ❤️
Bri’s story began with pain far too early.
She experienced physical, sexual, and emotional abuse throughout much of her childhood. By the time she was eight years old, she had fallen away from God, and at fourteen, she turned to drugs because they were the only coping skill she knew.
That pattern continued for 24 years.
Bri describes herself during that time as lost, hurt, angry, and carrying overwhelming guilt and shame. She blamed herself for what had happened to her and became convinced that she was not good enough.
To survive, she created a false identity and carried it into adulthood.
She did not know who she was.
She struggled to process emotions, communicate how she felt, or connect with other people. The shame she carried was so heavy that even making eye contact felt difficult.
But that was not the end of Bri’s story.
On October 2, 2024, Bri says God got ahold of her and brought her to the Dorcas House.
After decades of carrying pain, addiction, shame, and an identity shaped by what others had done to her, she began discovering something completely different in Christ.
She began learning what it meant to truly live.
She learned that she was loved.
She learned that she could actually feel loved.
And she began discovering who God said she was instead of allowing her past to define her.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” — 2 Corinthians 5:17
While at the Dorcas House, Bri poured herself into her relationship with God. She became hungry for His Word because, in her words, His Word was setting her free.
She also learned resilience and one truth that has stayed with her:
Do not let anyone who did not create you define you.
Today, Bri can look back at what she survived and even the choices she made and see how God has used every part of her story to shape the woman she is becoming.
And now she wants to use that story for someone else.
Bri believes God has given her a special gift for working with children. She is now attending college and pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in child and adolescent development.
Her goal is to reach children who have experienced some of the same things she endured and help them understand something she desperately needed to know as a child:
Your past does not have to define your future.
And most importantly, she wants to introduce them to the One she says changed everything for her: Jesus.
There is one more reason to celebrate Bri this week.
In just TWO DAYS, on October 2, Bri will celebrate TWO YEARS OF SOBRIETY! 🎉❤️
From 24 years of addiction to two years of freedom.
From carrying an identity created by trauma to discovering who she is in Christ.
From being a hurting child to preparing for a career helping hurting children.
What a way to close National Recovery Month.
Bri, we are so proud of the work you have done, the woman you are becoming, and the way you have chosen to turn your pain into purpose.
Help us celebrate Bri! Leave her a congratulations in the comments for TWO YEARS SOBER and encourage her as she continues college, recovery, and this incredible new chapter of her life. ❤️
