Veronica Garza was brought up in the church, but by the time she was 16 years of age, she was the only one in her family who was following Jesus. She was baptized and became very active in her local church, singing with the worship team and leading worship at Wednesday night services. In her own words, she was “on fire for the Lord.”

But gradually, the Lord began to take a lower and lower place on Veronica's priority list. The distractions of peer pressure stifled and smothered until the fire that had once burned so hotly was reduced to a smoldering heap of ashes.

So, with a beautiful singing voice, a background in theater arts and a 2½-year-old daughter from a relationship gone bad, Veronica struck out to make a name for herself in Hollywood. She rented a place on the Boulevard and was participating in auditions when things started to unravel. She became pregnant with her now 7-month-old son, Isaiah, and began to feel the pressures of an inadequate income coupled with the imminent birth of her son.

All the while, during her brief quest for stardom, Veronica's mother, who had recently rededicated her life to the Lord, drove from her home in Anaheim every week to pick Veronica up for church. Before long, Veronica began to recognize God's hand moving in her life. She says,

“I learned that He never left me. I felt condemned, but I learned there's no condemnation in Jesus...I told my mom, ‘I need to come home,’ but I wasn't talking about coming home to her. I was talking about coming home to the Lord.”

She did both. Veronica temporarily moved in with her mom, found a home church, and symbolized her recommitment to Jesus with a second baptism. This, she says, was step one. She knew that she would somehow have to get back on her feet, so after hearing about an opening at the House of Hope from her aunt, Veronica began what she calls step two—the road to self-sufficiency. This time she was going to do it God's way.

Veronica was extremely glad to hear about the House of Hope. She knew it was just the place she needed to prepare for the birth of her son, grow spiritually, start a new career and gain the independence she sought. What she didn't know were the many ways in which God would bless her in the months to come.

She arrived in April of 2003 with only two suitcases to her name. Five days later, OCRM hired Betsy McEwen, the chaplain who would become Veronica's mentor and walk with her through all the growing pains of restoration. It was literally a match made in heaven. She grew spiritually to the point where she was given the responsibility of leading the other women in Bible studies. When her son, Isaiah, was born in September, everything was provided: a crib, changing table, rocking chair, double stroller, you name it.

The opportunity soon opened for Veronica to become involved in the local ROP (Regional Occupational Program) and pursue a career in banking. She finished in the top 5 of her class and is now serving an internship with Wells Fargo Bank at a branch office within walking distance of the House of Hope.

Veronica is scheduled to graduate from the House on September 1. Meanwhile, she is active in a local church, using her God-given voice talents in service to the Lord. She is actively seeking employment, with interviews scheduled in the coming weeks.

Understandably, Veronica has a lot of good things to say about the House of Hope: “It's more than you could ever imagine. When you think of a shelter, you think, ‘I'm gonna lay on a cot with my kids and have to leave in the morning.’ The true meaning of a shelter is something that protects you, nourishes you, keeps you safe and helps you grow. That's why I'm glad that I'm here at the House of Hope.”

Veronica recognizes, however, that it is God's intervention that has made it all possible. She says, “He's the only father that I've had in my life. Now I truly have a relationship with the Lord...I can call Him Daddy, tell Him I love Him, and know that He loves me. He picked me out and called me by name and that's so awesome for me to know because I felt so lost.”