Life is a journey and for many of us, it begins with hardship, then a story of redemption…

Growing up in the country, Nicole had little exposure to life outside of her home. With no access to the Internet or Christian television, she had never heard the gospel. She had heard of God’s name, but not much beyond that. “My belief was that life was hard and void of hope,” Nicole explained. “My lens of life was suffering.” From her early childhood, she experienced multiple areas of trauma, a sibling in addiction, neglect, and abuse. She had no way of knowing that there was more to life beyond that. Without realizing, she repeated cycles of unhealthy patterns that ran within her family line. Through God’s grace, she also avoided some pitfalls, too.

At 18, Nicole was introduced to the gospel, but she continued to meet hardships on her journey.

Thankful for this newfound hope, Nicole married her high school sweetheart and moved to Kentucky, ready to begin a new chapter. However, her marriage proved difficult for 16 years. She lived through hardship, divorce, and multiple health challenges. Oftentimes, she faced empty kitchen cupboards and threats of no electricity. Nicole found herself rebuilding her life from scratch again. She knew what it's like to be bedridden, near death, and crying many nights, feeling as if hope was lost. How many challenges could one really endure?

Still, God provided for her every time.

While there were many stories of hardship, there were also many stories of hope and blessings. Nicole was not alone. God always sent help and met her every need. When she needed housing, people took her in. When she needed support, public assistance programs or random strangers gave her help and community. Twice she needed a car, and twice she was given a car, ultimately giving one away. God intervened and always provided a home, safety, food, and shelter. In her lowest moments, God continually showed up for her and through His grace, she was saved.

Now, just as Nicole's life was changed, Nicole is helping change lives at Reset.
Nicole values Reset’s community because she knows that without church and programs like Reset, she wouldn’t be where she is today. Nicole said, “I relate to our residents that don't have family, community or knowledge of God. I understand those who struggle to believe that life can actually be good. I was that person. The journey of ‘figuring things out’ takes time and my journey was filled with many mistakes. Praise God, he sent community to help me on the journey.” Now, Nicole serves as Reset’s Program and Volunteer Director, directly supporting our residents on their life journeys, just as she was supported on hers. Nicole continues to help others see hope in hardship and serve as a light of inspiration to all at Reset.

“This is why I love Reset! Every day, I get to come alongside others, support everyday life situations and journey with our volunteers, staff and residents to see Jesus glorified and his children restored to their original identity in Christ.” - Nicole