Emmaus Program Participants Story: Jessica

Jessica was 13 when she moved from Colorado to Santa Barbara to live with her mother. “I was having a really hard time getting back together with my Mom," she says. "I was going to a lot of counseling, and I was having a really hard time in school. I didn't have a single friend to turn to.

"Then I spent a weekend on retreat with Operation: Break the Cycle! To me it was heaven on earth. For the first time in my life, people accepted me for who I was on the inside. They didn't judge me by the way I looked, or how much money I had. I felt the most peace I'd ever experienced in the presence of other people."

Jessica went to work after high school and soon was promoted to management. “All of my teamwork and leadership skills I learned at Emmaus," she says. Today, she is managing three stores on Stearns Wharf and planning to go back to school in the fall.

The Emmaus experience even helped Jessica reconcile with her mother.

“Two years ago, my Mom gave birth to my baby brother, and I held her hand all the way through the delivery. We're so close now. Emmaus gave me so much more understanding of myself—and other people. I can see their strengths now, instead of fighting with them about their weaknesses. Emmaus was one of the most awesome experiences of my life."

- Erik's Story

- Javier's Story