testim onies
Fi
l
l
i
ng
t
he
Empt
y
Pl
aces
By Shannon Dupr
e
I was r
ai
s
ed i
n a Chr
i
s
t
i
an home by t
wo amazi
ng par
ent
s
who di
d ev
er
yt
hi
ng r
i
ght
, but at t
he age of 18, I began
hangi
ng ar
ound t
he wr
ong c
r
owd. Bef
or
e I k
new i
t I was
par
t
yi
ng and doi
ng dr
ugs
. By my 21s
t bi
r
t
hday I was a
f
ul
l
-
bl
own dr
ug addi
c
t and pr
egnant
. I r
us
hed i
nt
o a
mar
r
i
age t
hat s
ame year t
o t
he f
i
r
s
t guy t
hat c
ome al
ong
bec
aus
e t
hat i
s what I t
hought I was s
uppos
ed t
o do. I
s
t
ayed i
n t
hat abus
i
v
e s
i
t
uat
i
on f
or al
mos
t 10 year
s but i
n
t
he mi
ddl
e of t
he br
ok
en mar
r
i
age my l
i
t
t
l
e br
ot
her was
mur
der
ed. My whol
e f
ami
l
y was dev
as
t
at
ed, s
o I was
abs
ol
ut
el
y pos
i
t
i
v
e t
hat God hat
ed me and I woul
d s
pend
t
he r
es
t of my l
i
f
e payi
ng f
or my s
i
ns
.
T
o hel
p c
ope wi
t
h my pai
n, I s
t
ar
t
ed t
ak
i
ng pr
es
c
r
i
pt
i
on
dr
ugs but s
i
nc
e t
hat j
us
t was
nʼ
t enough t
o br
i
ng r
el
i
ef
, I
s
t
ar
t
ed us
i
ng her
oi
n and c
r
ys
t
al met
h. I was i
n and out of
j
ai
l f
or a whi
l
e but ev
ent
ual
l
y ov
er
dos
ed i
n a Wal
gr
eens
bat
hr
oom wi
t
h my 7 year ol
d daught
er i
n t
he next s
t
al
l
.
T
he par
amedi
c
s t
ol
d me t
hat my hear
t s
t
opped f
or ov
er
12 mi
nut
es
.
F
r
om t
her
e I f
ound mys
el
f f
ac
i
ng an ext
ended pr
i
s
on t
er
m,
s
o I c
ame t
o Mar
yʼ
s Song. I di
dnʼ
t k
now what t
o expec
t
,
but I k
new i
f I c
ont
i
nued t
he l
i
f
es
t
yl
e I was i
n, I woul
d di
e.
I k
new I needed hel
p, but I di
dnʼ
t k
now how t
o get i
t
.
Mar
yʼ
s Song has c
ompl
et
el
y changed my l
i
f
e and gi
v
en
me t
he hope I was s
ear
chi
ng f
or
! I needed J
es
us t
o f
i
l
l t
he
empt
y pl
ac
es i
n my l
i
f
e t
hat not
hi
ng el
s
e c
oul
d s
at
i
s
f
y
. As
I pr
ogr
es
s
ed i
n t
he pr
ogr
am t
he t
hi
ngs my par
ent
s t
aught
me gr
owi
ng up went f
r
om “head k
nowl
edge” t
o “hear
t
k
nowl
edge” r
ev
el
at
i
on. T
he L
or
d s
howed me t
hat when I
was r
unni
ng as f
ar f
r
om Hi
m as I c
oul
d get
, t
hat He s
t
i
l
l
l
ov
ed me and pul
l
ed me out of t
he gr
av
e t
hat I was
c
r
eat
i
ng f
or mys
el
f
. He had mor
e f
or me, ev
en when I
di
dnʼ
t r
eal
i
ze i
t
.
J
es
us del
i
v
er
ed me f
r
om t
he anger and s
el
f
-
pi
t
y t
hat was
c
ont
r
ol
l
i
ng me! He i
s s
howi
ng me how good He r
eal
l
y i
s
and how Hi
s hand i
s upon my l
i
f
e. Ev
er
y day t
he L
or
d i
s
dr
awi
ng me c
l
os
er t
o Hi
m. T
he Fat
her has s
hown me l
ov
e
and gi
v
en me peac
e t
hat c
an not be obt
ai
ned anywher
e
el
s
e. I c
an now be t
he mot
her t
o my t
wo beaut
i
f
ul
chi
l
dr
en t
hat God has c
al
l
ed me t
o be. T
he L
or
d has t
r
ul
y
gi
v
en me j
oy f
or mour
ni
ng -
I wi
l
l t
hank and pr
ai
s
e Hi
m al
l
my days
!
Spr
i
ng 2017 { 7 }