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God Gave Me My Life Back ... Where are Your Accusers Now? Before coming to New Hope for Women, I was in and out of prison-on and off of drugs. In the last eight years, my life became a disaster! I tried to get myself together several times with the help of secular outpatient programs and meetings-only to end up right where I left off! The last time I really got myself in a mess, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ended up being accused of a violent crime. I found myself in prison again. This time my family had enough, and they didn’t want anything to do with me! During my short stay in prison, I began to cry out to God. I started praying for a Christian program. My prayers were answered. New Hope for Women took me in with an open case. After attending several classes at New Hope for Women and being ministered to by JoAnn Muller, the executive director, I began to see things in a whole new light. I was given the TRUE Jesus! I began to huger and thirst for His righteousness. When I went to court, my accusers didn’t show up! It was like I was under God’s shadow, protected, and Jesus was standing in the courtroom with me asking, “where are your accusers now?” The false charges were dropped! New Hope for Women let me stay at the Residential house and finish my classes in the program. The seed that was planted in me was on good, fertile ground---thanks to New Hope for Women. My life has dramatically changed. My whole family is back in my life. Relationships that were damaged for years have been restored. I have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I’m able to get into God’s presence and feel his love. I was blessed with an awesome job with great career potential. I know if I seek Him first and His righteousness, all these other things will be given to me. Mathew 6:33 - Bernadette Murphy, Northeast Philadelphia He Healed my Body ... He Touched my Mind My name is Michelle Levenick. I was a resident at New Hope for Women. Here is a testimony of what took place in my life when I had been there for about six months. Ever since I was fourteen years old, I have had problems with ovarian cysts and a disease called endometriosis. I’ve had four operations because they keep returning. Around March 2004, I had severe pain on the right side of my abdomen. I went to my doctor and he ordered an ultrasound. On the ultrasound, they discovered a large cyst on my right ovary. It was full of blood. My doctor said he wanted to go in and remove it. He ordered another ultrasound before surgery. When I came home, the house manager and the other residents laid hands on my abdomen and prayed. I continued to pray each night. I went in for my second ultrasound and much to the shock of the doctor, NO CYCSTS and NO E. My doctor said all I have are “beautiful ovaries.” I give Jesus all the glory for what he has done for me. God is still healing people today. Thanks you Jesus! "Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’" ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ November 2007 Julie Vellos, "Hustle or be hustled" Out of my 46 years of life, I have hustled 38 of them. Born in Texas, raised in Belize, Central America, I learned at an early age that our "tropical paradise" was a poverty stricken country where it was hustle or be hustled. At 5 years old my mother moved from Belize with my brother back to Texas. I was left behind to be raised by my grandparents. The only thing I ever learned from my father was how to sell ganja by the time I was 7. I grew it, chopped, weighed, and bricked it, smoked and sold it. To a young girl living in poverty, big drug money became an addiction, but it came with a price. 5 years in a Mexican prison, then 2 more years i Illinois, and then finally my last run on a cruise from Philly to Bermuda came to an abrupt end landing me in Riverside Correctional Facility on State Rd. Tired of prison life and desperate, God got my attention and said," It's got to be My way- get a Bible and read it". At RCF I attended Bible Studies, and learned I needed a personal relationship with Jesus. One night I promised the Lord not to move weight if He released me. Although facing 8-10 years, I only did 9 months before being released. For the past 18 months I have been at NHFW studying God's Word and now realize I am no longer the person I was, I am a new creartion in Christ Jesus. Julie Vellos Julie continues to keep in contact with Pastor JoAnn but has relocated to Chicago where she is currently employed. December 2008. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ December 2008 Barb K "Reunited" After 2 years at Riverside Correctional Facility, then an additional year in a New Jersey prison, Chaplain Muller offered me a place to live at the NHFW home. DHS informed me that I would need to have employment, and a large enough apartment to accomodate my 3 teenage boys. After one year of meeting my boys in Shamokin Pa. on a monthly basis, I was finally allowed to bring them home for a one day visit. For me, this was a long time coming. I met Chaplain Muller in 2006 while I was at Riverside, and asked to be a part of her classes. I accepted Jesus, and learned that God wanted my love, not my practice of religion. I graduated the course right before the authorities came to take me to NJ to complete an additional year on related charges. I kept in contact with the Chaplain, and she offered me a place to stay when I was released. I am happy to say that for the past year I have had a job and now my children will be allowed to come every other weekend for visits, and I thank God for all that He has done for me. Through the many difficult and disappointing moments, He has carried me with his love and I am learning how to trust. As a child who grew up in the foster care system, I have felt alone and abandoned most of my life. I made bad choices to support my children as a low income single parent, and it cost me 3 years of seeing them grow up. That was torture for me, since I knew first hand the feelings of abandonment and hoped that my children would not suffer as I did. I have prayed to be able to share my new found faith in Christ with them, and now I have the chance. thank you Jesus!
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