With Shelena’s parents, it’s no wonder she used meth at twelve years old.
Shelena went on to shoot meth for 14 ½ years. Starting at twenty years old, prison became a revolving door for the next decade or more. She failed to come clean, learning the hard way that crystal meth has respect neither for the boundaries of college nor church.
Although she married a man from church, he too failed before the seduction of crystal meth. Then upon completion of her own higher education, she celebrated with a binge on the dark side. Crystal meth doesn’t mix well with anything, but Shelena tried it with alcohol and firearms. She didn’t take a life, but the harm she caused put her up for seven years.
While Shelena was in prison, her brother committed suicide. Left at a crossroads, she realized going back home was not a good option. She knew she needed to start fresh somewhere new.
In 2014, Shelena left prison for the last time. For her, a prison program called Beauty for Ashes made the difference. She married six days after she left prison. Having been told for years that she could not have children, she found herself pregnant five months after her release. Today she has a good marriage and a healthy son. Shelena moved back to Chillicothe, Missouri, where she did her time. Now, though, she was clean and not an inmate. Shelena was hired as the program manager for the Beauty for Ashes Ministry.
We met with Shelena in Chillicothe over lunch. Her radiant grace, beauty and strength were hardly the reflections of such a troubled life. If Shelena can turn her life around, imagine what purpose might do for you.
