Everything changed once my hope became certain – Mindy's story

Everything changed once my hope became certain – Mindy's story

What remarkable journeys have people faced head-on against addiction? This Real Recovery episode shares Mindy’s story, a woman who went from selling pounds of meth and facing up to 20 years in federal prison to leading multiple sober homes for women and children. You’ll hear how Mindy grew up in a chaotic home with two parents struggling with drugs and alcohol, found escape in marijuana at 13, and quickly moved on to LSD, cocaine, PCP, mushrooms and eventually methamphetamines.

By her late teens she was awake for 12 days at a time, dealing with cartel connections, carrying guns and assuming she’d die that way. Jail stints, truancy, drug dealing at school and deep anger painted a bleak picture long before hope appeared. A turning point came when she overheard someone in jail talking to another inmate about Teen Challenge and God.

Years later, after crying out to the Lord, she was arrested, federally indicted and staring at a decade in prison. Trying to manipulate the system, she went into Teen Challenge thinking it would look good in court, but instead encountered unconditional love for the first time and began to trust that "God can deliver you from this". Her sentencing became a shock: the judge reduced her time, credited Teen Challenge, and recommended further programmes.

Mindy went into prison "on fire for Jesus", leading Bible studies and prayer groups, and later built a strong church and recovery network. Keeping her promise to serve God, she eventually stepped out in faith to launch Restore Recovery, now running multiple women’s sober houses, including homes where children can live with their mums. This episode is ideal if you’re in addiction or early recovery, wrestling with relapse, or just wondering whether God can work through the absolute worst choices.

Could your lowest point be the moment everything starts to change?