Kali’s Story

I came to Wayne Hall on September 7, 2007. If you had told me that I would end up in a shelter, I would never have believed it. Looking back now, I can see that everything I was doing led me to that point. When I moved into Wayne Hall, I was seven months pregnant with my second child. I was unemployed, evicted from my home, smoking marijuana and cigarettes heavily, and suffering from near suicidal depression. I was completely cut-off from my family and only came to Wayne Hall at the insistence of a friend. It was the greatest thing she could have ever done for me.

When I first moved in, I was nervous and angry. As the oldest resident in the house, I had a deep sense of shame. Pride kept me from letting go completely. My son Malachi, who was five years old at the time, shut down emotionally and was very distant. However, we were welcomed like family almost from the start. The other women I met gave me constant spiritual encouragement. I was held accountable for every action and inaction. I was challenged to face how my choices had caused my situation, and I was shown how much God loved me despite the things in my past. By the time my second son, Micah, was born, I had overcome my addiction to marijuana and cigarettes. I was also learning how to deal with my depression, and I was communicating with my older son much more effectively.

Being at Wayne Hall was not without its challenges. I experienced personality clashes, anger over being monitored and coached daily, and frustration with curfew. I resented being told when to sleep, when to eat, what to do and how to do it. In retrospect, the regimen taught me discipline. I am a much better mother, student and employee because of it. I have learned (and tell everyone) that if you can survive at Wayne Hall, there is nothing you cannot do.

Before coming to Wayne Hall I had walked away from my relationship with Christ. I had so much anger, resentment, hostility and sadness over the things I had been through that I blamed God and turned my back on Him. At Wayne Hall, I recommitted my life to Christ and developed a relationship that is far deeper and stronger than I’ve ever had before. My children have also come into a relationship with God, and they are well on their way to becoming soldiers of the Lord.

Today, I am a college student completing my degree in Business Administration/Technical Communication. I have a full-time job and live in a four bedroom house. I have been clean from drugs for a year and nine months, and both of my children are healthy and happy. All of these things are great, but they are not the greatest. If everything that I’ve accomplished were to suddenly be taken away, I can still say I have received the greatest thing possible: my relationship with the Lord. And that is something that can never be taken away from me.