” I was a Junior at the University of Tennessee when my husband and I had Abigail.  My parents always tell the story about the minute Abby was born and the nurse let me hold her, I looked at her and said “Hey, Abs.”  I had already nicknamed my sweet girl and I was so happy God blessed us with Abby!  She was the sweetest child and I have always loved her fiercely. 

      I don’t know how to condense what has happened or really how it all began, but Abby’s early adolescent years started off bumpy and her teen years ended up a nightmare.  The family rallied around her but no doctor, medication, therapist, counselor or rehab facility could help my sweet girl.  She threatened hurting herself almost daily, she numbed herself with drugs and in the end her only “friends” were gang members.  At night, I prayed to please let her live one more day so that I could find that one thing that might save her.  But we also feared for ourselves knowing these gang members knew where we lived and drove by our house in BridgeMill daily.  Just looking at Abs, she was gone.  Her eyes were dead.  She was no longer there.  She wanted help but no one could help her.  She was lost.  And so very sad.  We all were.  Our lives revolved around trying to help Abby and those were terribly dark and depressing days, months, years for us all.

      Then we found Bethany Place online.  Abby wrote a handwritten letter to them and we called.  We made an appointment to meet Sandy and Nivia the next week.  Needless to say, the entire family was praying she would be accepted and she was!  I personally gave her two weeks until she would be asked to leave.  It was the first time I had slept through the night and not worried about Abby dying.  This was nine months ago.  And I’m delighted to say that I can finally say “Hey, Abs” every week because they have saved my baby!  My sweet daughter is back and thriving like never before!  Thank You God!  Sandy and Nivia Reed have done what no one could do.  Abby has light in her eyes again.  She holds her chin up and looks us in the eye and smiles again.  And she is proud of herself!  She works so hard every day and loves the Lord and has a passion to learn more and more about scriptures and how to apply what she studies in the bible to her daily life.  She loves us again and is truly happy for other people when good things happen to them.  She has empathy for others and she just radiates love.  This is my little girl that we all knew and loved, just all grown up now.  She takes no medication, she does not see a therapist, she does not do drugs or try to numb herself anymore.  She has finally learned that she can do anything she sets her mind to and knows in her heart what Sandy and Nivia tell her all the time: “You were created for Greatness!”

     I can’t put into words how thankful and grateful we all are for Bethany Place.  Truly, this is why my daughter is alive and thriving today.  Thank You God, thank you Sandy and thank you Nivia!  (And thank you Abs for not giving up on yourself-I love you tons).  “

Shana Glover

Mother of Current Resident