From Pompoms to Prison

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).

Susan and I were acquaintances from elementary school through high school, though we never knew each other well. That’s a shame because she has turned out to be an amazing woman with a life-changing testimony from God. However, it’s never too late to make a new friend and I’m both proud and humbled that we have reconnected.

If Susan had never fallen into the trap of drugs and alcohol, she might have ended up as a nice mother who attended church just enough to be respectable, but little more. But what the enemy meant for evil, God turned into good. Like the Prodigal Son, she ended up slopping pigs, but took it one step further by doing so while in prison.

Susan was utterly humbled and broken, and that’s where God stepped in.

She knows what it is to lose everything, including her dignity, and by losing the world she gained her soul and God’s glory of eternity. God loved her when she was unlovable, gave her a new heart, and sent her on a mission to tell the world of his love and power.

God’s way of grace is upside-down to the world’s way of thinking. He wants us to trust in him, not in ourselves. He lifts up the broken, makes the blind see, the lame walk, and releases us from the chains that bind us. I urge everyone to listen to Susan’s story. She has no shame in her past because God has used her to glorify his name. She is living proof that there is no such thing as hopelessness in God’s eyes.

-Michael McCullough
Chemical engineer, small business owner, and software engineer

I knew Susan in High School and remember her always smiling. I never knew the pain hidden behind the smile. Recently, our path has crossed via Facebook. Susan's story is so captivating, powerful, and educational.

Mrs. Washington, I started reading your stories on Facebook and I just couldn't stop. You have such a heart for sharing God's everlasting love. This new blog you created is awesome. I love everything about it! How cool is it that you get to share your story and impact the lives of so many people. My heart breaks for all the people who are suffering as you did and it is so awesome that you are helping bring Jesus' love to the broken. Way to let your light shine!

Susan, when I first met you four years ago, I never would have imagined what a hard life you had led, but I immediately felt a connection with you. When I heard your testimony, I cried and sat in awe of you. I couldn't picture you in some of those situations. The woman you spoke of was not the woman I know and love. Your sobriety has been inspiring to so many. Your passion for helping others has inspired me personally. I was so excited when you got your teaching certificate reinstated because I knew what it meant to you. Your story has already touched hundreds, but with your website and book, you will reach millions. You will never know how many lives you have touched. I love hearing about the people you touch as you minister in prisons giving hope to those in so much pain and isolation. God has used every hurt in your life to help others be restored. I didn't know you as the other woman you write about, I only know the Susan who is a personal hero to me and so many others. I can never tell you how much you mean to my family and me. There just really are no words. You are a butterfly that has gone from a crawling caterpillar, to cocoon prisoner fighting her way out, to beautiful butterfly spreading her wings. Thank you for taking us on your beautiful journey.

Susan you are amazing. All of the tumbling we did in your yard or mine, you trying to teach me how to be a cheerleader, your dad trying to teach me how to water ski. Oh what masks we wore and bright faces we put on for the world. Most of our neighborhood knew that you had a brother that passed or that I had a brother that was into drugs and trouble, but no one ever looked past those things to see what was going on behind closed doors or when no one else was around. And of course we were to never speak of it or let anyone know that there were horrible things happening. Well my girl, you've opened the doors and shouted to the world and have opened your life to God. Through reading your posts and talking to you I've learned so much about myself. Through you, I'm learning to be more open and accepting of my past. I am so very proud of you and thankful for you. Keep up the good work.

Susan, you have been such a blessing to the HOPE women and we are excited about having you speak to them again. I am thrilled about what God is going to do to minister to many incarcerated women. They hunger for people who understand the struggles of incarceration and separation from family. Your testimony will bring a message of hope and freedom to them, and the power of God's amazing grace to redeem and restore.

Susan - I am thankful that you have such strength that you can share your experiences here. Too often people keep these life experiences to themselves and others miss out on the opportunity to learn with them. But not you; you are true to yourself and true to the world and I commend you for that. I love you and feel so blessed to have you in my life as a mentor, as a friend, and as family. Keep the messages coming - it's an exciting addition to my day! See you soon!

Hello Susan, my name is Pat Love and I'm a recovering addict. I went to school with you at J.L. Long and would have graduated in 1978. I spent years of my life in one addiction or another until I decided to surrender and let God do for me what I was unable to do for myself. I lost a lot along the way, including two marraiges and I gained a reputation of someone who would never change. I have been clean and sober for over 4 years now and by God's grace have come to love myself again. Many things have been restored to me through Jesus Christ. I have a great relationship with my 4 children, I graduated from Kent State with a degree in nursing and many people believe in me these days. I spend most of my free time spreading the message of Christ's grace and restoration, I serve on the board of trustees for a Recovery center. Christ will for me is the most important thing in my life, over everything else. I have forwarded your link to friends in our Christ based recovery groups, Women of Courage and Men of Faith. You have a very powerful message and we are like minded in our journey of recovery. People like you spread a wonderful message and help so much in removing the stygma of addiction which we have all encountered. God bless you for the courage to speak out, you are an inspiration to me. There are so many things I would like to share with you. I look forward to hearing from you, God bless.

Susan, our family's were friends since before we were born, our sisters (Kathey and Barbara) were best friends in grade school and I was at the lake with you that fated July 4th when your neighbor delivered the news of Davids death. That day is forever imprinted in my mind and on my heart, your family forever changed. You went from the adored daughter that both your parents doted on to a scared little girl often alone and neglected. It breaks my heart that you spent so many years alone keeping your terrible secret and feeling so responsible for the terrible loss of your brother David and your mother. I am so thankful to God for His great love and His powerful outstretched arm that has saved you and restored you. Kathey would have loved to see this day and share your faith with you, it was her prayer that you would know the Lord. Though I may never understand why it was necessary for you to have suffered through all you have gone through, I am thankful that God has used it so powerfully for His glory. I pray that God richly bless you and your family, that He restore to you as He has promised in His Word the years that the locust have eaten. Know that I love you.

Although I don't think I've ever met you I have really enjoyed reading your posts and because of your tremendous ability to draw us into the what was happening, it seemed like it was me. It should make us all realize that except for the grace of god there go we all. Hearing about your arrest and losing your children was really a tough read, my heart broke as I thought about your thoughts and feelings with these experiences and what it did to your kids. Praise the Lord that he has taken all these experiences and is now being Glorified through them. Please don't grade my grammar.