Maria’s Success Story

After fleeing difficult conditions in Venezuela, I came to the U.S. for a better life, only to find myself hopeless, homeless, and addicted a few short years later.

My husband and I started a family in Venezuela, but soon realized it was no place to raise two young boys. There was rampant crime and death. There were no diapers and little food.

In 2011, we managed to get into Panama with our two young boys. We spent three years there and established residency before my husband gained a student visa to attend a university in Idaho. In 2015, we had another son and I fell into postpartum depression. I felt alone in a new country.

I grieved the loss of communication with family back in Venezuela and was burdened by trauma I had experienced. With three small children at home, I couldn’t shake my depression. A year went by before I decided to take my life. My husband intervened and I recovered at the hospital, but when I returned home, I still had thoughts of suicide.

Despite being in a religious family, I was upset at God for leaving me in this depressed state. I told my husband I was leaving our family. We divorced, and I encouraged him to find a new wife who would be a good mother to our children. He did, and I am happy that my sons have a stepmother who cares for them.

When I left, I wanted to end my life but before doing so, I decided to try living in the fast lane. I started partying and using drugs. I even remarried to the man who supplied me with drugs. However, during the pandemic, the fast lane dried up. We couldn’t get drugs, and the party stopped.

Depressed and ashamed, I again decided to end my life but wanted to say goodbye to my boys. When I traveled to see them, a police officer tried to pull me over. I resisted arrest and was charged with several crimes. I spent five months incarcerated in Idaho Falls before being moved to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Eastern Washington. They wanted to deport me, but because the U.S. has no direct diplomatic relations with Venezuela, I couldn’t be sent back.

While in jail and later detention, God began working on my heart. A ministry group came to jail, and I started reading the Bible. I came to believe in God again and started seeing Him working in my life.

One thing God did was lead me to a phone number at the detention center. The number connected to an organization that helped people get out of detention. I called, and within a few days, they raised my $10,000 release bond.

Back in Idaho, I bonded with a Christian organization that helped people get back on their feet. A few months later, I became a follower of Jesus, beginning a personal relationship with Him and receiving forgiveness for my sins and was later baptized.

But after years of trauma and scars, I knew I needed more tools to stay straight for the long haul. My boys and their family had moved to Utah, and I wanted to be near them, so I contacted the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake.

At the Rescue Mission, I learned the importance of community. Yes, the first and most important relationship anyone can have is with Jesus, but I realized relationships with other people are a key too. I couldn’t live an isolated life but needed healthy relationships that would encourage me and through which I could encourage others. Today, I am actively practicing community here at the Rescue Mission, at my home church, Capital Church, through serving with a nonprofit organization, and helping at another church in the valley.

I have a pro bono immigration attorney who helped file paperwork that would allow me to work in the U.S. While I will never be able to achieve citizenship because of my criminal record, I can apply for some employment and residency exceptions, as allowed by the immigration court.

Today, I am working and ready to graduate from the New Life Program. I have a good relationship with my boys, and they visit me on weekends. We go out to eat or stay around the Mission and play card games (they love Uno!).

As I look back, I can see that through all the hardship, God was in control and protecting me the whole time.

Growing up in Venezuela seemed bad, but God shielded us and eventually led us to the U.S. When I suffered severe depression and tried to take my life, my husband was there. One reason I wanted to divorce my husband was so my children could have a mother who would take good care of them. God provided for my children by giving my husband a new, caring wife who has been a great mother. Through my husband’s marriage to an American, my two children who were born in Venezuela have become U.S. citizens.

God even used my drug abuse, arrest, and incarceration to help me learn the truth about Him in jail. He also provided a way for me to leave ICE detention and has given me pro bono legal help to create a path for me to stay and work in the U.S.

Most importantly, He has provided forgiveness of my sins through His Son Jesus and led me to the Rescue Mission, where I found the spiritual support to build my faith, overcome depression, find employment, and stay sober.

Please pray for me as I move to the Mission’s transitional housing unit, Hope House, this month. Pray also as I work with my pro bono attorney to meet immigration requirements. Thank you so much for supporting the Rescue Mission. It has made a lasting impact in my life and the lives of my children!