When Erika was 3 months old, she was adopted into a wonderful family who wanted nothing but the best for her and her brother. However, a few years later, Erika’s mother became very sick with cancer. Weary and hopeless, Erika began to doubt that God would ever heal her mother. After her mother passed away, Erika drifted even further from God’s embrace.
Erika fell into a deep depression, and by the age of 13, Erika was an alcoholic. She hungered and thirsted for anything that would fill the void she felt inside. By freshman year of High School, Erika was also addicted to marijuana. She began living a double life and isolated herself from her family and friends. She stole money from her father to pay for the drugs, which caused a lot of distrust and pain in the family. Erika believed an addict was who she was and who she would always be. Her addiction only made her worse, and every day was a battle between her head and her heart.
But eventually, God opened the doors to Albemarle Teen Challenge in Elizabeth City, NC where Erika was given a chance to turn her life around. God not only freed her from her addictions but also reached down and picked her up out of her brokenness. God put the broken pieces of her heart back together, and now, Erika has hope for her future. She graduated from Teen Challenge on January 18th, 2014, and God opened another door for her to come back and intern at Teen Challenge. Because of God’s mercy and redemption in her life, Erika is now helping other broken women find healing through the Holy One. Erika’s learned,
