A story of grace and recovery
A crowd gathered on the front porch of the simple white house sitting off Hwy 226 in the Grassy Creek area on Saturday afternoon. If it weren’t for the white vinyl sign that had been battered by wind and rain for the past couple of weeks, passersby may have thought it was a Saturday family gathering. It was in a way. It was a gathering of the family of Jessica Williams. They were there to celebrate her life, a life that lead to the opening of Hope House.
Never2Scarred, a nonprofit that operates Hope House, is Jessica’s testimony that lead to this day. A recovered addict, who was there among the crowd on Saturday, due to the “the saving grace of Jesus Christ.”
In the beginning
Jessica’s journey with addiction began in the sixth grade. “My dad was called into the ministry. We moved to Hendersonville. It was hard. It was my first experience of feeling rejected and unwanted. I started dabbling with drugs and alcohol – the kids in that group, they were the ones that made me feel accepted.”
During Jessica’s eighth grade year, the family moved to Spruce Pine. By her senior year in high school she was “a full blown addict. alcohol, drugs – both illegal and prescription. I got married, had children, was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and went from street drugs to prescription drugs. By 31 my life was spiraling out of control. I had been arrested multiple times, lost my kids, and was in court again. I was sentenced to 120 days of house arrest, and I decided it was time to end it all.”
A mother’s love
For Beverly Williams, Jessica’s mother, Saturday’s grand opening of the women’s recovery program was “...bittersweet. I have a child who has overcome addiction – by the grace of God and a lot of prayers – and I have another, who has not. She’s in prison.”
The wife of a pastor, Beverly said their experience should be a wakeup call to everyone “….drugs don’t care who you are, or how you were raised. They will take over your life. And dealers – it’s just money in their pockets.”
Jessica and her siblings grew up in church. They went to Sunday school, on mission trips, participated in youth groups. Drugs and alcohol weren’t used in the home. They were “in church from the time they were born,” said Beverly. “And my daughters became drug addicts. And as parents, we felt like we failed.”
Watching her daughter answer questions about Hope House and the Never2Scarred nonprofit, give tours of the home that will offer refuge and healing to women battling addiction, Beverly said attitudes have changed and the availability of resources have increased for families battling addiction over the past 20 years.
“We knew there was a problem,” said Beverly. “We knew there was an addiction. We did what we could. We kept the grandkids. We worried. There were days we didn’t know when or if she would come home. It was hard. Family addiction hurts, it hurts your pride, and it makes you ashamed. But what I’ve learned is there is no shame in it. You have to talk about. You have to pray about it. You never know what others are going through. No one, no family is immune from addiction. When you bury it, it grows – like mold.”
Today programs like Celebrate Recovery, offered weekly at Bear Creek Baptist Church, offer a support system for recovering addicts and family members. It’s an invaluable resource for those coping with addiction, said Beverly, “support groups, and prayer partners. They help you get through it.”
Saved by grace
“Feb.7, 2016, God freed me,” said Jessica, looking at the floor as she remembered that cold, dreary winter day. “God had put people in my life. People who prayed for me, who encouraged me, who loved. But on that day I drove up to Roan Mountain. I was going to end it there.” When Jessica got to the top of the mountain, normally deserted on winter days, it was covered with people. “Cars were parked everywhere. And there, I surrendered it all to God. I said God, if you will take this addiction from me I will do whatever you want me to do. That day… God took it all and I’ve been free from addiction since that day.”
A vision
On Oct. 19, 2016, Jessica and her mom drove by the white house sitting on the side of Hwy. 226. “As we drove by, I had a vision from God,” said Jessica. “He said I would be working with women in this house.”
After almost five years – and a lifetime of healing – Jessica will serve as the executive director of the home that will give women of addiction hope.
Surrounded by family, friends, and prayer warriors, Jessica cut the ribbon to the entrance of Hope House – a home that will provide, hope and love to women on a pathway to recovery.