Amanda’s Story
Before I got to New Directions, I was lost. I was a single mom struggling to make a way.
In 2017, after my divorce, I suffered through addiction until my oldest son Kaiden was placed with his dad. In 2018, when Kaidon was placed with his dad, my entire world fell apart. I knew a change needed to be made. I quit my addiction only to battle homelessness. Trying to form some kind of stability, I bounced from house to house, living out of my car and trying to make ends meet. I was getting absolutely nowhere. And all I wanted was to survive so I could get Kaiden back. After a couple of years of battling homelessness I was losing hope, working as a waitress and only getting to see Kaiden when I was allowed. I was getting absolutely nowhere when it came to me being able to provide some form of stability for myself and Kaiden. Nothing I was doing was working. Every day I’d get up, go to work, and then find a safe place to park or find someone who would let me stay at their house only to know that each night as I closed my eyes, I was failing Kaiden.
As I was losing hope and not sure what to do I slowly gave up and moved in with a person I barely knew. All I wanted was to get my son back, and I thought that was the only way, Not knowing the dangers I put myself in. In 2020 I became pregnant with the 2nd greatest gift from God - Mark - my 1st was Kaiden.
After I got pregnant, there was domestic violence. He tried to kill me and the baby. With no way out, no safe escape, all I could do was pray. The day I came home from the hospital with Mark, he tried to evict me from the house and held a gun to my head with Mark in my arms. I kept praying that God would make a way for Mark and me to safely escape and He did. My prayer was a safe escape where he would not come after us and no one encouraged him to.
In January 2021, God made it happen.
Mark and I went and stayed with a friend for a few months. After lots of praying and asking God where I needed to be to get a fresh start for me and my boys, he led me to Myrtle Beach.
May 1st, I found myself in the parking lot at Seacoast Vineyard Church. It was a Saturday. I had enough money saved for a couple of nights in a hotel. So Mark and I, mostly Mark, slept that night. I tried but found myself mostly talking to God and holding my baby - the baby that reminded me what I was fighting for and to not give up.
The next Tuesday, May 4th, I found myself back at Seacoast Vineyard Church. I sat in their sanctuary for 3 hours and finally talked with Christy, their outreach pastor. After years of thinking I could do things on my own, I knew if I tried to do that here, I would get nowhere. So I let God do His thing. I let God lead me. After talking to Christy for a little bit, she made a few calls.
On Wednesday, May 5th of 2021, my life was and will forever be changed. That was the day I walked into New Directions Family Shelter. There stood Danielle Walters, their case manager, tears in my eyes and hanging on tight to my Marky. She greeted us with a smile and a hug. We chatted for a bit. I got Mark and I settled in. Over the next few days, Mrs. Danielle and I got hard to work, with getting daycare for Mark and getting me a job that would fit my schedule. It was a bit of a rough start with jobs. Then I found the Boardwalk Coffee House.
New Directions was more than a shelter. It's a safe place. A second chance. The beginning of a new life. Yes, there were challenging days, very challenging, but we got through them. I don’t think I could have gotten through those days if it wasn’t for Mrs. Danielle Walters. She isn’t just the Case Manager, she is a mentor, someone who listened on my hard days, laughed with me or us when that’s all we could do, and probably felt the pain in my tears as God and I worked on healing me. She was also there when I needed a swift talking to. So you see New Directions is more than just a shelter.
It’s a place for rest, healing, and second chances. It helped me build the solid and strong foundation I need to be able to give my boys a life they deserve.
I would not be able to stand here today and say I am a survivor if it wasn’t for God and New Directions.
Today, I am enrolled in the medical assistant program at Miller-Motte College. I moved into my apartment in February of 2022 and still work at the Boardwalk Coffee House. I am working on restoring my relationship with my family, and am still fighting to regain custody of my oldest son, Kaiden. Mark is amazing and got to move up to the 2 yr-old class at daycare - early! So Thank you! To everyone who makes New Directions possible. I am so grateful for you.