09/15/2026
Testimony Tuesday |From Broken to Becoming
My name is Mary, and standing here today means more to me than I can put into words.
Because there was a time when I didn’t know if I would ever be able to stand here and tell this story.
There was a time when I felt lost.
There was a time when I was hurting.
There was a time when addiction and the choices I made because of it had taken pieces of me that I didn’t know how to get back.
I made mistakes. I hurt people. I hurt myself. I carried guilt, shame, regret, and pain.
And there were times when I looked at myself and wondered, “How did I get here?”
I didn’t always recognize the woman looking back at me in the mirror.
But God saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.
He saw a woman who wasn’t finished.
My recovery journey has taught me that recovery isn’t just about putting down an addiction. It’s about learning how to live again.
It’s learning how to deal with the pain instead of running from it.
It’s learning how to forgive yourself.
It’s learning how to make better choices.
It’s learning how to love yourself again.
And most importantly, it’s learning that your past does not have to determine your future.
That is why I am so thankful for TK Mission.
I am especially thankful for Mira and Jody for allowing me the opportunity to join this program and for helping me along the way.
They gave me an opportunity when I needed one.
They encouraged me when I needed encouragement.
They supported me when things weren’t easy.
And they reminded me that I didn’t have to walk this journey alone.
I will always be grateful for that.
TK Mission became more than just a program to me. It became a part of my healing.
It gave me a place where I could be honest about where I had been while learning how to move forward.
It helped me understand that I could make mistakes and still have a future.
I could fall and get back up.
I could cry and keep going.
I could be broken and still be worthy of being rebuilt.
And that’s something I want every woman in this room to hear:
You are not your past.
You are not the worst thing you’ve ever done.
You are not your addiction.
You are not your mistakes.
And you are not beyond God’s reach.
There were days when I didn’t feel strong.
But I kept showing up.
And sometimes recovery is exactly that showing up one more day.
One day at a time.
One choice at a time.
One prayer at a time.
One step at a time.
And somewhere along the way, I started changing.
I started seeing myself differently.
I started believing that I deserved a better life.
I started believing that I had a purpose.
I started realizing that the woman I had been didn’t have to be the woman I would always be.
Today, I can look back at my past and say:
“Yes, that was me. But that’s not where my story ends.”
My story doesn’t end with addiction.
My story doesn’t end with pain.
My story doesn’t end with my mistakes.
My story continues with recovery.
My story continues with healing.
My story continues with hope.
And I believe that God is still writing the best chapters of my life.
So to Mira and Jody: thank you.
Thank you for opening the door for me.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of TK Mission.
Thank you for helping me along the way.
Thank you for seeing something in me when I couldn’t see it in myself.
I may never be able to fully explain what that has meant to me, but I hope you know that your willingness to help me became part of my story.
And now, I want my story to become hope for somebody else.
Because if I can make it this far, you can too.
If you’re struggling today, don’t give up.
If you’ve fallen, get back up.
If you’ve made mistakes, forgive yourself.
If you’re hurting, ask for help.
And if you don’t know where to start, just take one step.
You don’t have to figure out your whole life today.
Just take the next right step.
Because sometimes the smallest step can lead you to a completely different life.
Today, I am grateful.
Grateful for another chance.
Grateful for recovery.
Grateful for TK Mission.
Grateful for Mira and Jody.
Grateful for the people who have supported me.
And most of all, I am grateful to God for not giving up on me when I had almost given up on myself.
I used to think my brokenness was the end of my story.
Now I understand…
My brokenness was where God began rebuilding me.
And if you take nothing else from my testimony today, take this:
There is still hope.
Your story isn’t over.
Your life isn’t over.
You are not forgotten.
You are not alone.
And no matter how dark your past has been…
there can still be light in your future.
For me, that hope began when I was willing to take that first step.
And today, I can stand here and say:
I am still here.
I am still fighting.
I am still healing.
I am still growing.
And I am becoming the woman I was always meant to be.
My name is Mary.
This is my recovery.
This is my testimony.
And this is my reminder to every woman who needs to hear it:
Hope Begins Here.
If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, please know you don’t have to do this alone. Reach out. Ask for help. Take that first step.
Your story isn’t over. Hope can begin here, too. ❤️
