Hope and a future hadn’t been something Clarissa Vennerbeck and Emily Yearsley could count on when they were released from prison – until a stay at Jeremiah Recovery House changed everything. JRH’s two-year program accepts women who have been subjected to human trafficking, abuse and/or addiction; and they arrive in various ways – by choice, recommendation or, rarely, by court order.
In January 2018, Emily was coming to the end of a two-year prison sentence after being in and out of jails and prisons for more than 10 years.
“I knew I didn’t ever want to go back to prison again,” Emily said. “A family member in Eureka Springs told me about the Jeremiah House, and I knew if I wanted to make this change in my life I had to leave Texas. I was released on a Friday, and Sunday night I was on a Greyhound bus to Arkansas with a lot of people, myself included, praying I would be accepted into the program.”
When Clarissa got out of jail in June of 2017, her dad took her to Returning Home in Springdale where she was handed a Jeremiah House brochure.
“For me, there was nothing left,” Clarissa said. “I needed something different in my life but I didn’t know what it was. I was tired of not having food, not having a place to lay my head. I was tired of constant chaos and being unstable and being around unstable, unpredictable and dangerous people.”
If I can just make it to bedtime
But even after they both landed in a safe, loving place there were still battles to be fought and lifestyle changes to be mastered. Clarissa admits the first year was difficult, but she was determined to make it through the program.
“My biggest challenges were structure and people telling me what I needed to do. My pride was all over the place. Also, trying to be still was the hardest thing throughout the whole process. I just put my head down and went on. I remember thinking ‘if I can just make it to bedtime another day will be over.’ Then, one day it was like my head just popped above water and I knew I was going to make it.”
The challenge for Emily in the beginning was being in a different state, not knowing anyone, and wanting to contact someone in Texas who was unhealthy for her but not knowing how to let that go. While Clarissa struggled with structure, Emily says that’s what helped her achieve a good balance.
The crucible of routine and relationships
Whatever the program, just living with an intentional “family” brings its own set of challenges.
“It takes learning how to communicate healthily and effectively,” Emily said, “and a willingness to get to know your family. Learning to accept my sisters for who they are and not expect them to be like me or do things the way I do them was a great thing I learned.”
Both women feel they have changed fundamentally. Clarissa has gained the “ability to remain still and let God do His work.” She admits to being “angry and mean with others” at first but has learned patience. She also credits the consistency she didn’t like at first for having helped her the most.
“Having to wake up at the same time every day and make sure we complete our responsibilities helped me establish habits that stick. It really does take the two years to make a drastic life change. And what made me stay with it is still a mystery. I truly believe it was God. It’s hard to give up two years of your life to move somewhere you may not know and have someone else direct your steps. All it takes is a little faith and perseverance.”
Emily agrees. “What kept me on track was the love, the faith-based aspect and the accountability that was poured into me by my mentors, the staff, the volunteers and my NA sponsor. The most important part for me was/is that early on I knew I was supposed to be here, no questions asked. Today I am most thankful for my freedom. The freedom I have to get to wake up every morning and praise God for the life He has given me today.”
What now?
Do the women feel confident about stepping into the next chapter on their own? Clarissa confided, “Before I graduated, I was terrified I wasn’t going to make it. But about a week before I moved out, something came over me and I realized God will be with me wherever I go. I have so many tools now and my support system is so big I am fully confident I will just fine.”
Clarissa will be living temporarily with family while she’s attending NACC and NWAC in preparation for going to university. Emily, who didn’t like leaving Texas at first, now feels she belongs in Carroll County and plans to live in Eureka Springs, continue to work in the area and volunteer at Jeremiah House.
Emily said if she had the means her thank-you gift “would be to supply endless funds to complete the Eureka Springs Jeremiah Recovery House and to fund Vickie Poulson so she could fulfill her dream to work full time at the Jeremiah House and have paid employees.”
“If I could give any gift to the Jeremiah House it would be money,” Clarissa told the Independent. “Jeremiah House does so much, not only for the girls who live in the house but also for the community.”
Both ladies will keep in touch with Jeremiah House and will speak at a fundraising concert with John Two-Hawks on Nov. 16, 6:30 p.m. at First Christian Church on Passion Play Road. The community is invited to come and support efforts to add a Jeremiah House in Eureka Springs to the current location in Green Forest.
Jeremiah House is so named after a scripture verse in which the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to God’s people who were captives in Babylon and encouraged them not to worry, to stay put and pray for the country they were in “because,” He told them, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11)
See more at www. jeremiahhouse2911.org