The Story of Amanda Ottinger
By Amanda Ottinger, Inspire Contributor
In October 2004, I was strung out on Methamphetamine and had been for seven years. My husband had just been sent off to prison and I had four children, ages 17, 15, 11 and 8. The two oldest were living with whoever and wherever they could find a place and I had the two youngest with me. We were living with whoever would let us stay with them for the price of dope.
I was also wanted by the police with a number of warrants out for my arrest, probably 20 or more, and would have been headed to prison also if I had been caught. The two youngest kids and I were staying at a place in South St. Louis City; a place where other users were all doing crack with the kids right there in the house.
Hohmeier Auto Body was in the vicinity of the place we were staying, and one day I went there to ask if I could use their telephone. Mr. Hohmeier told me that I was welcome to use the phone, but I would have to leave my cigarette outside "because they didn't allow smoking in their shop."
I said, "That's no problem, I need to quit smoking anyway."
He responded, "We could pray with you about that if you want us to."
I just busted out crying and said, "Mister, I have a lot more problems than that. I need God to help with all the problems I have."
He said, "We'd be glad to pray with you about that if you'd like too."
He told me how to be saved and led me in praying the Sinner's Prayer right there in the shop and I turned my life over to Jesus Christ and was saved by the Grace of God on October 27th. I had no idea what a ride I was in for...
The next day, I went to a local food pantry at Kingshighway Baptist Church. I told a man there that I needed to get my family in church and he had me call the Church office. I talked with Brother Bill who arranged to pick my family up for church that Wednesday night. I didn't dream at the time how much that church would come to mean in my life and the life of my family. We were picked up for church and the folks there were very nice to us. However, I didn't even realize yet that my dope life had ended. It had just been five days since I had last "used."
The next day, I fixed lunch for the kids and we prayed for the first time ever before a meal. The men at the Body Shop brought food and a Bible; it was at that time that I asked them if they had a Riverfront Times and they said that they didn't, but they did have had a Christian newspaper called the Good News Herald and they gave us that to read - probably the first Christian paper I had ever read. I still didn't know what God was doing in my life, all I knew was that my life was a big mess. In fact, I was waiting on a big $1,200.00 connection that I could sell and get us out of the place we were staying. But God had other plans. The connection failed and the person we were staying with wanted money or dope, and we had neither, so he put us out on the street with my two kids, three dogs and the few clothes we had. Now I was really in trouble.
I called my Mother-in-Law who really didn't like me at all and told her I had found an apartment but I didn't have any money and needed a loan. Well, she chewed me out for an hour and told me what a mess I was, but she did give us the money. That was both the hardest and the greatest day of my life. We moved into that apartment with a pillow, a bag, a blanket and a dog apiece.
The apartment had a stove, a fridge, a couch and a loveseat - we thought that was all we needed. We had no idea what was in store for us.
That Sunday, I went forward to tell the church that God had saved me, but I knew nothing about being a Christian. Wow, did that Church take me in! They went to South County Baptist where they stockpile furniture for needy families and furnished our house completely, with even a washer and dryer. They kept us in food until we could get some money. The men from the Body Shop were still giving us spiritual encouragement - and even money sometimes. Someone from our church was in contact with us nearly every day and we went there for every kind of service and study that was offered. God just began sending us help from every direction. Our pastor gave us a car. The assistant pastor and his wife helped me clear up all my legal problems and went to court with me to get my parole (I had skipped out on) reinstated. I just cannot tell you how many people God sent to our assistance. We never dreamed God had such resources.
Now life is so different and God is giving us opportunities to serve Him and serve others just as He led others to help us. My husband is out of prison living clean. He has a good job with Fahy's Heating and Cooling, who have been so good to him and trusted him so completely. He is a Christian, faithful in attendance, driving the Church van now that was so helpful to us, and involved with the "City of Refuge," a ministry for released offenders. My two youngest children now go to Tower Grove Christian School. One of my older children is now on her own and the other is living with his dad and working. And God has blessed us with an 11-year-old who has been living with us while his mother is in prison.
Life has certainly changed for me. God saw to it that I never spent a day in prison, but now I'm happy to be a prisoner of Jesus. I love every minute of it. I'm into God's business all the time now. I'm studying at Church to get ready for my GED test; I even have a part-time job cleaning another church. I teach in the Sunday School, work in AWANA, and lead an "Addicts Victorious" Chapter. I even work with the church's kitchen clean-up crew.
I work in the food pantry at our church, trying to help others in the same way that we were helped - which was so important to us when we needed it so badly. But we not only provide food for their bodies, we try to introduce them to the "Bread of Life," which can feed them forever.
I have recently become part of "Project Hope" at our church. It's an attempt to help women who are in the same type of trouble that I was. We try to help them believe in themselves and that usually means helping them get themselves right with God. Then we can help them improve their skills and their relationships and become the productive persons which God meant them to be.
I have begun to realize it is my job and my privilege to lead people to Christ so that they can change as God is changing me. When I think of the wonderful people God has sent into my life, I dream about being used to help others as God used them to help me. It took me a long time to realize they were doing all of this, not just because they loved me, but because they were so grateful to Jesus for what He had done for them. I finally began to see that it all goes back to Jesus. He loved us so much and showed us that love by dying on the cross for us. And He wants us to learn the joy of loving - to live and die for others. I give Jesus all the Glory.