BECKY MORELAND: YOU ARE FAMILY.
YOU ARE MY FAMILY.
THIS IS JUST SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST...
HAVING OUR BIOLOGICAL FAMILY. THIS IS MY SPIRITUAL FAMILY,
AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS SO MUCH.
AND I HAVE LEARNED SO MUCH...
JUST BY BEING ABLE TO GROW UP WITH YOU.
AND IT'S BEEN A JOURNEY.
IT'S BEEN A JOURNEY THAT I'M SO HUMBLED TO BE A PART OF.
I HAD A LIFE THAT I GUESS YOU WOULD DEFINE...
AS BEING DYSFUNCTIONAL. AND I RAN AWAY FROM HOME...
AND STARTED DOING ALCOHOL AND DRUGS,
AND BECAME VERY PROMISCUOUS GROWING UP.
AND I WAS JUST LOST MOST OF THE TIME.
I MARRIED A MAN THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY BOSS,
AND WE DID NOT LAST. WE WERE MARRIED ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.
WE HAD FOUR CHILDREN.
MY LIFE IS A MESS, MY KIDS ARE A MESS,
AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO SO I JUST KEPT DRINKING.
I JUST KEPT DRINKING AND DOING DRUGS,
AND DOING WHAT I... THE ONLY THING I KNEW...
TO TRY TO FILL THAT VOID.
AND THEN I... I REALIZED THAT I'VE GOTTA STOP...
AND I FOUND SUPPORT IN THAT WAY, AND I FOUND THAT I CAN...
PUT THE ALCOHOL DOWN, AND I DID.
THERE WAS STILL SOME VOID IN MY LIFE AFTER THAT,
AND I STILL NEEDED TO FIND A WAY TO FILL IT,
BUT I JUST DIDN'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS,
UNTIL I MET THIS AMAZING, AMAZING LADY...
THAT WAS MY COUNSELOR.
SHE SPENT THREE YEARS WITH ME, JUST LOVING ME WELL.
SHE WAS A CHRISTIAN COUNSELOR. SHE DIDN'T PUSH THE BIBLE ON ME.
SHE SHOWED ME JESUS, AND AFTER THREE YEARS OF...
OF BEING IN COUNSELING WITH HER, SHE LED ME TO THE LORD.
SHE SHOWED ME THAT THERE IS HOPE.
SHE SAW ME GROWING MORE AND MORE IN THE LORD,
AND IT WAS PROBABLY ABOUT MAYBE A YEAR AND A HALF, TWO YEARS...
AND SHE APPROACHED ME AT CHURCH AND SHE SAID,
"BECKY, IT'S TIME FOR YOU TO START GIVING BACK."
AND SHE SAID, "YOU'RE JUST SITTING HERE...
"IN THE PEW GETTING FAT."
AND I REALLY HAD NO CLUE WHAT SHE MEANT BY THAT,
BUT SHE SAID, "GO HOME AND YOU PRAY ABOUT IT,
"AND YOU BRING ME A VISION." SO I DID THAT.
I WENT, PRAYED, AND I WROTE OUT THIS... THIS GREAT PLAN,
AND I SAID, "THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO DO."
AND IT WAS TO WALK THE STREETS IN THE AREAS...
WHERE WOMEN WERE BEING PROSTITUTED,
LETTING THEM KNOW WE'RE THERE FOR THEM,
AND HOW CAN WE PRAY FOR THEM,
AND STARTING TO BUILD RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.
I THOUGHT IT WAS BRILLIANT ON PAPER AND I DID NOTHING!
I... I ACTUALLY DID NOTHING!
AND I HAD EVERY EXCUSE IN THE BOOK,
I MEAN, BUCKETS AND BUCKETS OF EXCUSES.
FINALLY, MY MENTOR CALLED ME ONE SUNDAY MORNING AND SHE SAID,
"I THINK YOU NEED TO PRAY AND GET TO CHURCH EARLY.
"IT LOOKS LIKE YOUR MINISTRY JUST WALKED IN THE DOOR."
AND I DROVE DOWN THERE AND I MET THIS YOUNG LADY IN THE CHURCH...
THAT HAD BEEN ON THE STREETS ALL NIGHT.
I WENT IN THERE EMPTY-HANDED. I HAD NOTHING,
EXCEPT I HAD JESUS, AND THAT WAS ENOUGH.
THE NEXT DAY I SAT IN CHURCH JUST TOTALLY PARALYZED,
GOING, "WHAT WAS I THINKING?"
THEY SAID MY NAME OVER THE INTERCOM, ABOUT A CLERGY VISIT,
SO I ASKED THE GIRL NEXT TO ME, "WHAT IS THAT?"
SHE'S LIKE, "OH, SOME LADY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT JESUS."
(TEARFULLY) SO I RAN UP THE STAIRS AND I SEEN...
ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN I'VE EVER SEEN.
AND SHE CAME ALL THE WAY THERE TO TELL ME THAT JESUS LOVED ME.
AND SO I LOOKED FOR HER FOR ELEVEN MONTHS.
I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT HER NAME WAS.
I WAS STILL IN A CLOUD; I'D BEEN USING 23 YEARS.
AND WHEN I FOUND OUT WHERE SHE WAS,
I BUSTED THROUGH THE DOORS AT RAHAB, AND I TOLD HER...
I WAS GOING TO STALK HER UNTIL SHE WAS GONE IN HEAVEN,
AND I WAS GONNA FOLLOW HER IN THERE, TOO.
AND BECAUSE OF YOU, BECKY, MY WHOLE LIFE HAS CHANGED.
(PIANO MUSIC)
BECKY: I HAD TO STEP OUTSIDE MY FEAR AND TAKE THE NEXT STEP,
BUT THE FEAR KEPT PARALYZING ME.
I FELT LIKE I WAS STANDING AT THE EDGE OF A DIVING BOARD,
AND SOMEONE JUST HAD TO PUSH ME OFF THE EDGE,
JUST TO GET ME GOING. AND SO I THINK THE LORD DID THAT...
BY BRINGING THIS YOUNG LADY INTO THE CHURCH,
AND I KNEW THAT GOD WOULD SHOW ME WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
SHE'S BEEN BY MY SIDE THROUGH DEATHS,
THROUGH TORN LIGAMENTS IN THE HOSPITAL, JUST...
SHE'S TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE... TO ENDURE.
SHE'S TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE STRONG.
SHE'S TAUGHT ME HOW TO GET UP, NO MATTER WHAT,
BECAUSE I HAVE... I FALL,
BUT I KNOW THAT SHE'S GONNA HAVE HER ARMS OPEN FOR ME,
AND IT DOESN'T... IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I TELL HER.
SHE DOESN'T LOOK AT ME ANY DIFFERENT.
BECKY: SO WHEN WE WALKED THE STREETS,
WE DID THAT FOR A VERY LONG TIME...
BEFORE WE EVER ADDED ANYTHING TO THE MINISTRY,
BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE A MILE WIDE AND AN INCH DEEP.
(PIANO MUSIC)
I DIDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO.
I WAS GONNA GO BACK TO THE STREETS OF CLEVELAND.
BECKY CAME TO THE TABLE, PUT HER HANDS ON MY SHOULDERS,
AND SHE GOES, "I JUST WANT ALL YOU LADIES TO KNOW...
"THAT I'M OPENING A SAFE HOUSE,
"AND IF ANYBODY IS INTERESTED IN IT, LET ME KNOW."
I MEAN, I HAD A LOT OF STRUGGLES,
BUT SHE GAVE ME A CHANCE TO START MY LIFE OVER,
AND TO GET GOD EVEN CLOSER TO ME.
(MUSIC)
I GOT SHOT IN THE FACE, AND I WAS A FREQUENT FLYER...
OF SUMMIT COUNTY JAIL. I HAD BEEN THERE 47 TIMES.
I STOPPED COUNTING AT 47; I AIN'T TRYING TO GO BACK.
I HAD GOT 18 MONTHS SOBER, I RELAPSED.
AND I REMEMBER BEING AT THE CORNER STORE.
I'M TELLING YOU, SHE WOULDN'T GRACE THE DOORSTEP...
WITH HER FOOTPRINT, OKAY?
AND SHE WAS IN THE STORE AND I SEEN HER,
AND IT WAS... I JUST FELT ALL THIS SHAME AND GUILT,
AND I JUST FELT SO, LIKE, ALONE.
AND I WAS LIKE, "PLEASE DON'T TELL JUDGE UNRUEN."
SHE'S LIKE, "I THINK SHE ALREADY KNOWS."
AND A COUPLE WEEKS LATER I GET ARRESTED AND I GO BACK TO JAIL.
AND WHEN I COME BACK TO RAHAB THIS LAST TIME,
I JUST HAD A... JUST A MUSTARD SEED OF FAITH...
THAT SOMETHING WOULD BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME.
YOU LET ME KNOW THAT JESUS LOVES ME, NO MATTER WHAT.
EVEN THOUGH HE WANTS ME TO CHANGE,
HE'S GONNA LOVE ME RIGHT WHERE I'M AT UNTIL I GET THERE,
HAD YOU NOT HAD PATIENCE WITH ME,
I WOULDN'T BE WHERE I AM TODAY.
I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO BE A HOUSEKEEPER...
FOR THREE BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRLS,
AND I HAVE TO LOVE THEM WHERE THEY'RE AT, NO MATTER WHAT,
JUST LIKE YOU LOVED ME WHERE I WAS AT.
(PIANO MUSIC)
BECKY: TO THINK THAT IF I WOULD'VE NOT SAID YES TO THIS...
WOULD'VE CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF MY LIFE, MY CHILDREN'S LIFE,
MY GRANKIDS, I MEAN, EVERYTHING WOULD BE DIFFERENT.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE INCH-DEEP LIFE THAT I NEVER WANTED.
I WANTED A DEEP, MEANINGFUL, RICH LIFE FOR THE LORD,
AND IF I'D SAID NO TO THAT,
I WOULD'VE MISSED OUT ON ALL THESE AMAZING WOMEN...
I'VE HAD THE HONOR OF MEETING. THEY'RE MY FAMILY.
(MUSIC)