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Stories of Transformation

Andy’s Story

Struggling with depression, Andy always found solace in her art — until she ended up homeless on the streets. Then she encountered the Master Artist at Atlanta Mission.

“Art is an extension of myself,” says Andy, 28.“I love changing things, taking things that are used and discarded and turning them into something else — like taking an old, worn pair of jeans and turning it into a beautiful skirt.”

In a way, Andy’s art involves giving everyday items a kind of “new life.” It’s a wonderful picture of Christ’s resurrection and His promise of new life to all who believe in Him — the art of a “God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not” (Romans 4:17)

And it powerfully illustrates the resurrection of Andy’s own life. “I grew up in a broken family,” she says. “When I was 12, my mom told me she never wanted me. So I never felt like I was good enough.”

The only person who made her feel loved was her grandmother. But when Andy’s grandmother died, Andy felt lost and alone. She found an apartment with a friend, and started to build an independent life. But the roommate left abruptly and Andy found herself unable to afford the rent on her own. She ended up homeless on the streets of Atlanta.

“It was scary,” she says. “Things happened I don’t really talk about.” Finally, in October 2016, tired and traumatized, Andy came to the Atlanta Mission and My Sister’s House.

With the help of a loving staff, Bible study, and her growing relationship with God, Andy faced her anxieties and depression — and a new person, with a new life, began to emerge: the person God made her to be.

“Whenever my heart would tell me that no one loves me, I’d hear God say, ‘You’re OK. It’s fine.’ I learned it’s OK to be just who I am. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

Today, thanks to caring people like you, Andy is thriving in a new job, a new apartment, and in her art. “This is the gift God gave me, and to share it with others is such a blessing. You’ll never know how much this means to me.”