Former Drug Addict Finds Freedom at Talavera Prayer House
” I wondered why my pencil case was lost. I later found out she used it to hide drugs”, Sheila (name withheld) said, referring to her mother.
Sheila was eight when she started to notice her mother acting oddly. Her parents quarrelled all the time. Her father had caught her mother taking prohibited drugs.
Her mother was not the only one in the family who got addicted to drugs. She was hooked too.
She said she started taking drugs when she was 13. She was then living in Cagayan de Oro City. Her friends introduced her to shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), an addictive stimulant that has toxic effects on the central nervous system. She told herself that if her mother could do it, why couldn’t she. It started with drinking sessions with her friends that turned into long nights of drugging. They would gather their money to buy shabu, also known as speed, chald, glass, ice, and crystal.
Shabu made them very active. Their appetite decreased and never grew tired. Sheila and her friends also tried marijuana, which according to her made her feel tired all the time. They also tempted using the very expensive ecstasy, which caused her to be happy and in the mood for sex.
Sheila recalled doing stupid things because of her addiction. She would borrow money from her classmates and hide from them because she could no longer pay them.
Sheila also remembered getting tattoos done while high on drugs. She did not mind it that she shared the needle with other users.
And worse things went on and on.
Quitting her vices was difficult for Shiela. But she felt that her life had no meaning anymore. She felt that her life, and her family and friends were all a mess.
She took the big step of leaving everything in Cagayan and starting a new life in Cebu.
That time, she also had lost faith in God. She had grown tired of believing because she saw no signs that He was around.
Everything changed when she joined a youth encounter at the Talavera, House of Prayer. There she got to know God better. She understood that it was not too late to change. She also heard a lot of stories of people with problems bigger than her own. She said that whenever she was tempted to do something, she felt God’s presence in her heart.
Sheila is in the process of healing right now. She might regret the things that she did before, but she promised to herself and God that she felt God’s presence in her heart.
Perharps, you are struggling like Shiela did before, but you too, can find freedom and peace with God. Visit Talavera Prayer House. Be there and be restored!