“But even in the darkness, God never stopped reaching for me.”
When Angie’s phone rang in 2009, her stomach dropped and her knees got weak. She was told that her mother—her rock and best friend—was in a devastating car accident… leaving her quadriplegic. Still young and finding her own way in life, she suddenly shouldered the immense responsibility of becoming her mother’s full-time caregiver.
“It was a crash course in sacrifice, resilience and love,” Angie recalls. For over a decade, she cared for her mother. There were beautiful moments and incredibly difficult ones. Through it all, she witnessed her mother face unimaginable challenges with remarkable courage and grace.
Then 2020 arrived with the heartbreaking loss of her mother. Having centered her existence around caregiving for so long, she found herself searching for purpose. Angie says, “She had been my purpose for so long, and suddenly I was left asking, ‘Now what?’” The grief was overwhelming, and she turned to substances to escape from her pain.
Another devastating blow came in October 2022 when the father of her children passed away suddenly. Her boys lost their father, and together they lost their sense of stability and security. In the months that followed, financial pressures became too much, and they lost their family home.
Angie reflects, “Days blurred together. I was no longer living. I was just surviving. Addiction wrapped its arms around me and wouldn’t let go. But even in the darkness, God never stopped reaching for me.”
On October 7, 2024, she made the brave decision to enter a treatment program and has remained clean ever since. While in treatment, she was referred to the Naomi Family Program (NFP) at Union Gospel Mission Twin Cities as a next step. By February 2025, she and her two youngest sons moved into an apartment at NFP, where they found more than just a roof over their heads. “Naomi was different. It wasn’t just shelter. It was a sanctuary. It’s a place where love lives, it grows and we found healing there. It changed everything.”
“God carried me from addiction to recovery, from homelessness to healing, and from despair to faith.”
She was able to learn practical life skills while experiencing deeper emotional and spiritual healing. The classes and community support helped her become not just sober but whole again. Her sons, too, began to flourish in a stable environment. With their own case manager, therapist, consistent routines and the security of knowing their basic needs would be met, her boys improved at school, and laughter returned to their family.
Today, they still face challenges, but they have stability, hope, and a large community of support. “God carried me from addiction to recovery, from homelessness to healing, and from despair to faith,” she says, her voice shaking but steady. Angie is a powerful reminder that with faith, support and determination, transformation is always possible.