(Oklahoma Girls Group Home Summer 2005)
My name is Sarah, I was born on March 3, 1987. I am now currently 18 years old. I was raised in a normal, loving and caring family. My mom, dad and brother attended church every Sunday and every Wednesday.

It was all pretty much normal until I turned 16 years old. It was the year everything changed. My boyfriend and I broke up after almost 2 years of dating. When we broke up, I felt like I lost all of me. When I found out he was leaving, I tried to manipulate the situation by cutting my wrist. It didn’t work.

I started to become a really bad compulsive liar, I stole around 300-400 dollars from my parents, I manipulated my way out of things, I was abusive to my mother and I also stole money from my very own brother. I ran away a couple of times, just because I was running from my problems. I became a follower. If my friends got high I also got high. I did negative things to get attention from the kids at school because I wasn’t getting the attention from my parents.

I was living in a house where all the bedroom doors were locked, just because I would go in their rooms and steal money. One time my mom woke up in the middle of the night to find me scrambling through her purse. The next day, she asked me about it and I denied going through her purse.

On January 29, 2005 I found out that my worker was going to send me to a group home for seven months. As soon as I found that out I went through a mad rage. I cussed at my parents and told them I hated them, because they were making me go. I then went to my room and tore everything up. I was so devastated. I didn’t know what to do because I would be gone for seven months by myself. Then February 1, 2005 came and I arrived at Bethesda in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

When I got there, I was moving up and down the level system. I made it to the second highest level for one week.

About four months into the seven months it was time for me to ask my parents to sign the Forgiveness Covenant. In the past, we had signed so many covenants, but it never seemed to be working. But there was something special about this Forgiveness Covenant. I mean, maybe it was that I really wanted to change? I wanted so badly to be close to my family again and for them to be able to trust me again. So then the day came my parents were to sign the forgiveness covenant. I was actually really nervous, because what if I signed the covenant and came home and nothing happened? But ever since my parents signed the forgiveness covenant, I changed. I didn’t lie anymore, to my family, peers and the staff. I had a lot of chances and temptations to lie, but every single time that I did have the chance, I thought of how important the forgiveness covenant was to me. I didn’t lie. Ever since they signed it, there has been a huge change in me. I started to work harder in therapy and I also started to move up the level system. On July 20, 2005 I finally made it to the highest level. It was the first time out of the whole seven months, to ever make it to Honor Club and I have been on Honor Club ever since. I came from a con-artist to a leader and a President of Honor Club. Now it is very close for me to go home. I am so excited and looking forward to going home. This time it will be a worry-free home. I am forever grateful that I came to such a great place called Bethesda! Thanks!