Archive for month: September, 2021

Thanks to God and Gilgal, I can Dream Again!

Hi! My name is Veronica D.  You may remember my video with Chesley McNeil last year as we were preparing for Gilgal’s 6th Annual Blue Jean Gala.  

Check out this video from Veronica and Chesley promoting our 2020 Blue Jean Gala

At the time, we were both excited about the ministry’s first ever virtual event. I was also looking forward to my upcoming graduation. I’m thrilled to say I did graduate from Gilgal in September of 2020 and my life has never been better!

 I can’t wait to see what God has in store this year for Gilgal’s 7th Annual Blue Jean Gala. I hope that people will be inspired by the stories from other women like me and see what their giving really means.  Without Gilgal, I don’t know where I’d be today.

I struggled with crack cocaine for about 10 years until God delivered me more than 20 years ago. I stayed on the straight and narrow for a while, but eventually began drinking. I abused alcohol for about 10 years and found myself court ordered to rehab for a year. God was faithful and restored so much that my addiction took away. However, I slowly left Him and returned to heavy drinking. Soon after that, my life spiraled out of control, and after 5 DUIs, I lost everything – including my driving privileges and registered nursing license. That’s why I came to Gilgal. It was there that I learned to make God the center of my life and found real transformation through a personal love relationship with Him.

After graduating from Gilgal, I moved to my hometown of Philadelphia and was reunited with family. I started attending church regularly and continued the process of piecing my life back together.  Over the past year, God has restored my nursing license and given me a job at the hospital of my choice.  I also had my driver’s license reinstated and had my final court date, which by God’s grace went favorably due to my completion of the Gilgal program. I am now taking classes to earn my master’s degree in nursing and currently on the dean’s list.

I am blessed to say that the Gilgal staff remain a huge part of my network and spiritual family. I currently teach a weekly relapse prevention class (virtually) for the residents of Gilgal. I am also passionate about growing the alumni program. I want to give back to the ministry that gave so much to me.

Many of the teachings and spiritual disciplines I learned at Gilgal I still continue to practice daily. In the near future, I will be starting a ministry to serve the homeless population here in the Philly area. I plan to share the unfailing love of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Thank you for being a part of my transformation. I am eternally grateful to the Gilgal staff, volunteers and faithful partners who make this ministry possible. Because of your support, women like me can find a safe place to heal and dream again.

Change Happens at Gilgal because God’s love never fails.

 

 

Join us October 21st for our 7th Annual Blue Jean Gala. Visit www.gilgalbluejeangala.org for details.