January 2024 - Mechell Proctor

The Bible begins with a description of the earth before light was created. Most English texts translate this description in Genesis 1:2 as “formless and void.” The Hebrew for these words - tohu and bohu - are more commonly translated as confusion and emptiness. Eerily, those words describe many of the people we meet at our mission doors. Mechell was one of them. For the last decade, she has lived a life confused and empty without the light of God. For more than 6 years, she was trapped in a violent relationship, and then for nearly four, she was homeless and addicted. She was void of hope. 

After being arrested and going through detox, she ended up at Watered Gardens where her confusion and emptiness were replaced with order and love. Here’s what she told us:     

“I really found myself at Watered Gardens. I had to make my own decisions again—and learn to be relied on. I needed the stability and accountability to do that. Every day, we woke up at a certain time. Did chores at a certain time. Went to programs at a certain time. Had to be back at a certain time. It was like clockwork. That helped me put my life back into order.”    

Our Creator is a God of order and there is no one who can bring order to a mess like He does. He accomplishes it at Watered Gardens through a dedicated staff, a compassionate volunteer team, and supporters like you. Thank you for your support. It may have gone to rescue someone from the streets, provide recovery programming for one of our guests, or job training for one of our students. Regardless of which Watered Gardens ministry it was applied to, please know that your generosity helped replace someone’s confusion and emptiness with order and love.