"After failing a battle with depression and anxiety, in Oct of 2010 I made a serious attempt to take my own life. I then dropped out of college for the second time and entered into treatment at Mercy House. My experience with suicide left me with a profound sense of shame and guilt, as well as a hopeless belief that mental illness was going to be my permanent reality. But then, Mercy House happened. I have yet to meet a more committed and loving group of individuals than the staff at Mercy House. The treatment team showed me tremendous compassion and treated me with a genuine desire to heal me and know me as a person. Through their care I made great strides towards dealing with my illness and can confidentally say that I no longer have feelings of depression and anxiety today. After completing treatment, I returned to school to finish a Bachelor's in Psychology as well as a Certificate in Premedical Sciences and am currently applying to medical school. But most importantly, I am a happy, healthy individual and am infinitely grateful towards Mercy House for giving me a second chance at life."
"Hey guys, it's me. I was just sitting at home thinking about the program and I was just checking in. I hope everyone is doing well from my group sessions, I've been praying for everyone of them! And I just wanted to give some encouragement to new possible patients and the ones that may still be in the program. I just wanted to say that God is GOOD, He won't ever leave you even if you are traveling through the toughest part of your life. God has never left your side. And even when you don't believe in yourself or your own strength that God will always have faith in you. It's never the end and if you think you are wrong--God has wonderfully made you an has an amazing plan for all of you. God bless you all at Mercy House. And as for myself, I am doing well. God has blessed me in this life and I am so thankful for all he has done, and I can't wait for what His future has for me."
"I did not want to be here and didn't have the best attitude about treatment. It was very helpful and I began to be more comfortable as I came to more sesssions. The staff did a great job of making me comfortable about opening up and speaking."
"I enjoyed coming here. It was a postive experience for me. The staff did an excelent job in helping me out and was very supportive, much appreciated --I would recommend this to anyone.
"Very dedicated to the success of the participants."
"I got alot out of our group meetings. They helped me to understand the potential outcomes of my actions."
"Thank you for everything 'ou've helped me with. You brought things to light that now I have control of and know how to cope with."
"I am happy with and grateful for the time I spent at Mercy House. Everyone was helpful and respectful."
"My time has helped me redirect my thinking to more productive patterns. Thank You."
"The skills and information given to me at Mercy House were incredible, a very big help. I love the feeling of safety emotionally."
"Staff connected well with individuals in a way that helped that individual progress toward their goals, as well as connecting to groups to convey messages and possible solutions."
When I first came to Mercy House my life was out of control. My only purpose was to do whatever I could to escape the reality of my life. I was full of bitterness and resentment, depressed and angry. I was using various drugs and alcohol and blaming everyone else for the way my life had turned out. It didn't matter what it was I was doing as long as I could run away and escape.
I finally quit running when I reached Mercy House. There I found others just like myself who were tired of running and desperately wanted to change. I found leaders who cared about me and wanted to help me change and succeed. They showed me compassion and encouraged me. They loved me enough to tell me the truth even when I didn't want to hear it. They believed in me and gave me hope I never had. They gave me tools I can use to deal with life and myself. They gave me strength to keep going. Most importantly they pointed me to God. They taught me about a God I had never really known.
This God loves me unconditionally. No matter what I had done or what choices I had made, and in spite of the person I had become, He loves me. He wants to open up His arms and let me come to Him so that He can make everything right. God is for me and wants to help me succeed. A relationship with God is my success. Before this relationship all I had was a big empty void that I tried to fill without any success. God is more than big enough to fill that void. I have more peace now than I've ever had. I'm so thankful that God reached down and picked up my broken self and gave me a new life.
Knowing this is one thing. Living it is another. In order for me to live this way I must surrender every day, sometimes every moment. I'm far from perfect and there are definitely days and moments of struggle but surrender is worth it. I leave you with this quote as it still holds true to me today. "My worst day sober is still better than my best day using."