JACKIE

August 17

Traveling to Medford, Oregon from Anaheim, California

My transfer was in the downtown LA station, I sat and watched as people of all different walks of life sat together in the same place. I was asking God, "They're are so many people... God I pray you bring someone to me, whoever you want."Just then a lady dragging twice her weight in luggage came rushing up to the line, with sweat beading from her forehead she expressed in exasperation her relief, "I made it" she grasped. We made small talk as I helped her with her bags and when we had boarded she asked to sit next to me and I agreed. 

This was it, God had brought her to me.

She didn't take long to open up with me about her life, Jackie, was her name a 28 year old living in LA with her boyfriend. Seven years ago Jackie got pregnant with a baby girl, she was in no place to raise a child so her mom took custody of the baby and kicked her out. While her little girl Adalynn was being raised by Jackie's mother, Jackie moved to California and went about her life of drugs, being addicted to meth and drinking, she told me crazy stories of all the "dumb sh*t" she did. Finally sobering up in 2008, since then she's realized how "stupid" that lifestyle is and now she had decided she was ready to be a mom again. By this time she was crying, telling me how hard it was to leave her boyfriend in LA to move to back Portland, Oregon to be with her now 7 year old daughter. She knew it was what she had to do, leave the old life behind and go gain back the trust of her mom and daughter. 

Though I saw the pain in her eyes I sensed the hope in her story, the Lord had pulled her out of the lifestyle she was living and was about to restore her, it was then that the Lord told me to share this verse with her.

Jeremiah 29:14 

I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you form all the nations and the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

I also shared with her Jeremiah 29:11, which talks about God having good plans for her life. She received it and judging by the look on her face it surprised her a bit :)

We stayed together until I reached Medford, Oregon and it was a bittersweet to say goodbye but we exchanged information so we could stay connected and now we're facebook friends.