When Magrit, Staci, Jenna, and Bobbie Sue heard they were moving from the Isabella Street Reset house to the newly renovated house on Columbia Street, they had mixed feelings. They were comfortable at the Isabella house and weren’t sure about the move. Michelle was joining Reset for the first time, so she also wasn’t sure what to expect.
But they now know they should not have been uncertain! What a glorious moving day it was! People seemed to emerge from every direction as they moved boxes to a truck and then into the house on Columbia—a house of healing. As Staci, the new house manager, put it, they are the “pioneering family” for this house, and “it was such a beautiful thing to see all the people who came to help. They cared enough about us to make sure everything went well.”
Staci is very enthusiastic about the move to the Columbia house. She said, “I’ve always believed in God, but before I came here the Bible and church and God was just a story, but here it turned from a story into a love letter. It’s become personal for me. As an only child, I love having this beautiful community.”
Jenna knew she would feel at home because she actually grew up on Columbia, though a different block. “Some of best memories were made on this street. I was excited and knew it would be a good change for me. It is so peaceful and serene.”
Michelle’s move-in wasn’t typical. She moved in later in the day from everyone else because she had to move in after work that evening. She took her carload from her friend’s apartment to Columbia and got settled. She was surprised at how lovely the house is on the inside. She said, “They did a beautiful job on this house. I remember feeling overwhelmingly blessed that I have this place here. I’d prayed about it and who my roommate would be. As I entered, I was immediately aware of the calming presence of this house and the blessing it is to all of us.”
Bobbie Sue was houseless for years and is learning how important it is to adapt to change with the encouragement of her biblical counselor. She embraces the friendships and communication with the other women. She appreciates all the help that she is given by every person connected to Reset. They have helped her to grow spiritually and “how to live in the world but not of the world. I’ve never seen God so clearly. I’ve never felt so at home and I’ve never liked myself so much. Truly this is God’s people who love us back to life.”
Magrit moved into the Isabella house on February 1 from Chicago, after hearing about Reset through the pastor at The Bridge Church. She enjoyed being there with the other twelve women, but this house is so much less crowded and peaceful. “As soon as I came here, I felt at home. We settled in quickly and are all very compatible. It is a place of peace and rest for us and growing in the Lord. It is not just a house with rules, but accountability as well. This place is respite for our souls. I came here to find the Lord, and he found me. My desire for drink has been totally taken away. The Lord is amazing.”
These women came from different birth families and addictions, but now they are a new family together. They are alike in loving their new home and the family they are living with, and all mentioned the peacefulness and serenity of the house. Especially, they are united in understanding how God can change their lives at this House of Healing.