“You don’t have to be worthy… You just have to be willing”
Like many of the young women who come to The Elizabeth House, Kiera* didn’t grow up in the church.

“I didn’t know the Lord before I came here,” shared Kiera.
But the seeds planted in morning devotionals piqued Kiera’s curiosity about who Jesus really was, and when staff invited her to attend church services, she often found herself in the pews beside them.
“I wasn’t always able to attend in person so I would watch the second service online,” remembered Kiera. “Even online, the pastors were very welcoming and kind. They walked you through your journey of learning who the Lord is.”
What started as an occasional event turned into a consistent habit. Soon, Kiera developed a prayer life where she could see and feel the Lord moving and working on her behalf.
“I can really see that the Lord does answer us,” shared Kiera. “Not necessarily audibly, but He does in other ways. Honestly, I feel like God has made me a completely different person than who I was before.”
When Kiera first moved to The Elizabeth House, past trauma frequently triggered her, and she found herself in a state of near-constant anger. But as she turned to the Lord, things began to change. “The Lord worked through me and helped me to become calmer, more understanding of other people and of myself,” said Kiera “I don’t think I would have seen that change if I hadn’t moved here. There’s no way that I would have anticipated this being my future.”
When members of the church introduced her to the topic of baptism, Kiera investigated and decided that she was ready and willing to take the next step in the life God had for her.
Choosing to go through with baptism was an anxiety-ridden process. “If it was not for God, I don’t think I would have gotten up there,” said Kiera. “Seeing all those people so excited for you to be baptized was inspiring.”
Kiera remembered her special day. “My heart was racing, and I was stuttering through my testimony, but when I came out of the water, it was breathtaking. I realized that you don’t have to be worthy to be baptized, you just have to be willing.”
Kiera reports that turning her life to Christ was the best thing she could have done for herself and for her daughter, Lia. Through the transformative power of the gospel, a life once filled with darkness, addiction, anger, and pain has now been changed into one of sobriety, light, and hope, not just for today but for generations to come. Thank you for helping women like Kiera find the true meaning of abundant life!
*Names are changed to protect resident confidentiality.