Mission at Kern County

Yvette's Story

Yvette Orliz

“I’m confident in myself now.”

The brokenness in Yvette’s family kept getting bigger – snowballing until it became out of control. It started when her brother went to prison. After that, her parents got divorced, and her mother fell into addiction to cope with the loss. All the while, Yvette was battling a medical condition. At age 17 she started using marijuana to help ease her symptoms. Soon, she was struggling with addiction herself. 


“It was a broken home,” she says. “My family fell apart. It was challenging.”


The trauma and addiction of her childhood stayed with Yvette after she got married and started her own family. But when her relationship became abusive and she discovered she was pregnant again, she realized she had to change. “I wasn’t going to be in my addiction and bring another baby into this world. The baby didn’t deserve it.”


Yvette and her kids came to The Mission at Kern County for a fresh start, where they joined our Recovery Home for Women & Children. Through our program, Yvette overcame her addiction, healed from her past and restored her faith in God. 


“I learned to trust in the Lord,” she says.

“I was lost. At the Mission, I feel like I found myself.”

Now, Yvette has new hope for her future. She plans to get a good job and start a business to provide for herself and her children. She even hopes to buy a home one day – something that didn’t seem possible not long ago. “But I’m confident in myself now. The Mission helped me to stop listening to negative thoughts,” she explains. 


Yvette now has strength for her future because of your heart of compassion for her and other neighbors in need. Because you chose to share God’s love, she has a path forward in life. “I’m thankful to the Mission for all they do for us – for the support and the love. It’s more than a program. It’s a family.”

Read the full Summer 2024 Newsletter here.

Help people like Yvette today!