Testimony of Joan Dominguez

I was ready to die...Now, I live for Jesus!

I am a divorced mother of three children. My husband went to school, got his certificates, got a better paying job, and left me for a younger woman. At the time, I was in nursing school, working two jobs, and attending church. I thought everything was going well, but when he left I just crashed, got depressed, and gave up.

I lost my job, my car, and my schooling. My oldest son moved in to help me. However, I had no idea he was on drugs. I didn't know anything about crack/cocaine, but he began sneaking it into my home.

My son introduced me to a man, who eventually moved in with me. They would sneak cocaine in on me, a little bit at a time, until I started using it. Before I knew it, I was hooked and the man left me. I met another man who turned out to be a user and ended up in jail.

I had a home, 2 acres of land, and my children, but I lost everything. I sold my house and all that I owned because of cocaine. I saved enough money from the sale to purchase a small piece of land and a mobile home. I went into recovery and stopped using for over a year.

I eventually got back into church, but it didn’t last long. The man I had been living with was released from jail and we started living together again. He promised he was going to live right, do right, and get in church, but everything just sort of snow-balled into the same mess again.

Once again, I lost everything; my home, my car, and my children. I was able to sell my land and was going to use the money to go back to school; but the man I was living with stole it all. I had nowhere to go; my parents didn’t want me back and I had no money. It was the middle of the night - I was high and all I could think was, “This is it, it’s time.”

I remembered my Pastor had told me if I was ever serious about quitting he knew of a place I could go. He said when I was ready, to call him no matter what time. It was 11:44 PM when I called and said, “I’m ready”. He asked if I was sure, and I said, "Yes, I am". He told me he would make a call in the morning and to call him back the next afternoon. I waited until 11:30 the next morning and called him. He was on another line with Sal Nolfo to see if the mission had a bed for me; Praise God, they did.

Before coming to the mission, I was ready to die. I was tired of the life I was living. I hated the drugs, but couldn’t stop. Now, I know God is real. He has shown daily He loves me as He surrounds me with Christian friends and council.

I was so afraid when I got here, but now I’ve learned to face my problems, to submit to authority, and to live according to God’s word. My life has totally turned around.

Now, I live for Jesus-don’t get me wrong, I still have issues. There are things such as my pride and anger that I deal with, but I ask the Lord to help me. I want to live the Christian life and I don’t want to let my family, my Pastor, or my friends down. I want to finish this program for the Lord.

Dear Friends of the Mission, thank you for helping to save my life. I came here, not only for myself, but for my family and friends still on drugs. I want to be an example to others and show that God does love us and will help us if we seek Him.