My name is Ashley Shockley and I am from Greenville, SC. I thank God for 2nd chances! When I went to Grace Home my life was a mess. I had no place to live, no car; I had to drop out of college and was extremely miserable. You see 2 years prior I had a great job, was in college, had a nice place to live and a car to drive. This all changed very quickly. You don’t start making crazy decisions overnight - You gradually do one thing that leads to another.

When I was a junior in High School I began smoking marijuana. At first it was just every now and then and before long it was 3-4 times a day. Working and living at home made it very easy to support my habit. Drinking was just a part of the lifestyle too. I have a very wild personality and I was all about getting messed up and having fun. When I went to college I immediately hooked up with people who were accustomed to the same lifestyle. Well, it didn’t take very long. I managed to maintain decent grades, but I was still getting high every day. Drinking was a normal part of my day-to-day routine too. I was never the casual drinker, although that’s what I “wanted” to be. I was the type that drank until I couldn’t walk. I was not happy with my life, but I felt as if there were no other options. That was all I knew.

Finally my family put their foot down. They informed me that I would not live in their house, drive their cars and use their money to pay for school if that was the lifestyle I chose. I have a wonderful family. My dad feels responsible to God for my life and who I became and he could not tolerate the behavior any longer. Needless to say I went from house to house. I stayed with everyone and anyone. Without a job, home or transportation it’s hard to figure out what’s next. I had been talking with my mom while I was staying with other people. I expressed to her that “I did not like my life, I hated who I’d become and I didn’t know why I did the things I did.” One of her friends had told her about Grace Home. My family believed that if I had the desire to change, and could get away from life for a while and just be with Jesus, that everything would be OK.

When I was at my breaking point…Grace Home called. They had a bed! I had 2 days to get ready. If it was any longer I probably would have changed my mind. As I drove down the road with cotton fields, I wondered what in the world am I getting myself into.

I didn’t know a thing when I got there…but I told God “I’ll go…I’ll do it” and not because I have all these amazing qualities, but because I said “Yes” he uses me. I’m so thankful that God is my Cheerleader. I was a pitiful girl 6 years ago. God took me and transformed me. The more that I find out about who God is, he in turn shows me who I am.

Grace Home was amazing. The bible studies, the girls, the food, the work, the activities, the prayers, the love, the grace, the protection, the support, the peace…it is definitely a “place of refuge”. And that hiding place was the place that launched me on the path of the journey to pursuing the purpose and will of God for my life. I graduated from Grace Home two days after my 21st Birthday (how ironic).

I am so thankful that He took over. I’m so grateful to Grace Home for the opportunity to “see and hear” God. I’m thankful that men and women of God were willing to invest in my life. I would still be on the streets if it weren’t for them. My life is forever changed!

Ashley Shockley
2002 Grace Home Graduate

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

All things are possible thru Christ. Before coming to Hebron Colony just over two years ago I would not have been able to say that. My life was a mess and I felt like there was no hope for me. I had lost everything; my job, my family, my health, all of my worldly possessions, and even the will to wake-up. My life was in total despair. Even though I did not see it at the time, God was setting His plan into motion. God uses different means to bring us to the point of repentance, for me it was total brokenness.

As a student at Hebron Colony in the fall of 2005, God used my work assignment (splitting wood) to speak to me. God likened my heart to an old oak knot that I was splitting. Just like that splitter that was causing that knot to cry out as it split, so was my heart as God’s word began to penetrate into it. At the very instant that the knot broke apart, so did my heart. I thought I heard angels singing but it was only the “yard crew’ cheering for the splitter. I began to weep at who I was before a holy God. Years of pain, guilt, and sin flowed out of me and onto the cross. God forgave me and adopted me into His family that day. I will never forget the feeling of those chains being broken. I live today only yoked with Christ, and that my friend, is true freedom!

I do not know what tomorrow will bring, but I know my Savior will be there waiting on me to lead me through it all. I know He has called me to be equipped to share the victory and the good news that I now have in Christ with others. He has torn down walls and opened doors for me to be able to attend Columbia International University to study His word. He has begun to restore to me “the years that the locust have eaten” and I continue to grow daily through His grace and mercy. I give God all the glory for my salvation, but I thank Hebron Colony for pointing me to Him. A special thanks goes out to all of the donors who faithfully give to Hebron Colony and Grace Homes. I am a living testimony of the fruit of your labor. I cannot close without expressing my gratitude and love for all the staff members and students who where there for me during my time of renewal. May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue to bless you and Hebron Colony.

“Brothers, I do not consider myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13-14

Your Brother in Christ,

Shannon Glenn, Graduate and Former Staff Member
Jer. 12:5

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