Ms. Patricia grew up in Brooklyn, New York. She remembers marching herself upstairs to get washed up and dressed for church Sunday mornings, no matter how late she stayed out Saturday night...

“My mother was strict, demanding… had high hopes for me,” Patricia said. “I didn’t know she wasn’t my biological mother until I became pregnant when I was 18 (years old). I guess my biological mother left me on her doorstep and never came back.”

Once Patricia found out she was pregnant, her mother, who never formally adopted her, kicked her out. At that time she moved in with her now ex-husband.

“After having the baby I got addicted to drinking. I became an alcoholic. Then started smoking marijuana then crack. And crack just took my world upside down,” Patricia said.

Their marriage was far from perfect. Her ex-husband was domineering and abusive and it was escalating quickly. After discovering that he had not been faithful to her, Patricia moved back in with her mother.

“I think I was longing for love and family values. I tried to meet up with my biological mother. I found out I had 13 siblings and she gave all of us up except for one that she kept to get a check from the state to pay for her alcohol. I had addiction in my blood,” she said. “It was a trying time.”

In October 1987 Patricia had given in to old habits and ended up living in a drug house overrun with bed bugs and roaches. Her ex-husband came into the picture, spoiling her and winning her over again.

They settled down in Virginia this time with plans to, again, get married. Due to more infidelity and abuse that never came to fruition.

“For 42 years of my life I smoked crack cocaine,” said Patricia, who is now 61 years old. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in shelters or homeless, sleeping on the streets. But my mother told me God has something for me. I just always took off running.”

In 2007 her mother passed away.

“She loved me. Never told my kids bad things about me, she just knew I needed help.”

Patricia still lives here in Norfolk and currently has three adult children and 4 grandchildren. She has been drug-free for close to two years and is a full-time custodian at Old Dominion University.

“My hair is a mess, but I’m taking care of my responsibilities. I found that just because you give your life to Christ, things don’t go away automatically. It’s a process. Everything is in God’s time,” Patricia said.

Manna Ministry came into Patricia’s life when she sent a request for food assistance in June of 2020. She is leading a straight life, waking up at 3:30 a.m. every day to make it to work on time. And even though she is working a full-time job, an $11 an hour salary isn’t cutting it.

Ms. Patricia has made it through many obstacles in her life. Her relationship with God has always been background noise since she was young, catching her when she falls, but never strong enough to remain a pillar in her daily life. But she has hope. She is growing, reaching out for better relationships, looking for ways to truly connect with the Lord.

“God has brought me a long way. I don’t give him the credit and power like I should and I still struggle with my identity,” Patricia said. “In all the years I’ve damaged my body, I’m still here. God is keeping me. God is good. He is a healer.”