When a P addiction caused Melissa and Shane to neglect their kids, they realised that they'd truly hit rock bottom. After an old friend invited Melissa to church, she chose to leave her past behind and start a new legacy for her family.

Transcript
M: I sort of got into the bad crowds and then I got kicked out of home and sorta just started from there.
S: After the school years I was always drinking and carrying on smoking weed. But then I stopped smoking weed for a few years there and that’s when I started smoking meth. I was undercover for about 6 months. I just kept it sorta to myself.
M: As times went on it sorta just started messing with my mind and then I started seeing things and then hearing voices. It was just yuck. And I wouldn’t go to sleep for days. I’d stay up for days on end without sleeping, without eating hardly. We’d just like used to shove them (the kids) out of the room and just go into the room and smoke; and just leave them out there crying. And they used to bang on the door. We’d quickly go into the bathroom and hide and just go and smoke in there knowing that they’re out there. Those times I hated myself for that but praise God, we’re better today.
S: There are a lot of things that I regret while smoking P. First for one, how I treated the wife. I treated her like trash. I just ran her down. I didn’t care about anyone, anyone at all.
M: This one night I remember I was so terrified, I was just crying out to God in the room, just crying and praying and I didn’t know who to call. Then I rang one of the pastors, just this pastor and he came over in the early hours of the morning and was with us. Cause I just thought if I rang the police they probably would think we were both looney and take all our kids off us. That was probably one of the darkest times I remember.
S: My oldest boy I’ll never forget the day, we used to take him to school and I would curse him and yell at him so hard before he went to primary school and leave him going to school in tears. But having no feelings in my heart of sorriness for him, just pretty much get out of the car and go to school boy. It’s one of the things I really regret.
M: I went to the gas station one time and I saw an old friend that I went to church with years ago. She invited me to church I think it was on Mother’s day and I said oh yep, I’m gonna go to church even though I was high. I still went and I took all my children then, from that day onwards. I’ve never turned back. And yeah I had to do some changes, I had to leave him. That was so hard. Especially all the nights where it was just me and the children. And knowing well not knowing what he was doing. But just having that faith in God that he’s got everything under control. That was probably one of the hardest times in my life too.
S: I came over to their new house to check it out. It was this nice new house, everyone was happy. Nice, warm and cosy. And I stayed there the night. I wasn’t allowed to stay there, she would always say, na na you can’t stay. But I stayed there that night, with the kids in the room. I woke up about 2am in the morning, and I just had this weird feeling. I couldn’t shove it off. Like a sorta happy feeling but weird. And I just felt in my heart to get her phone. And so I got her phone and I text this pastor guy “Hey I think i’m ready for this church business”. This pastor guy rang me back straight away and he says “Hey Shano!” And at that moment there, he was actually praying with a group of men for me.
M: As soon as he started coming to church that was really good. It was just good knowing that we were both on the same path. Even though we weren’t living together, it was just good. We got married probably a year after, once he got more strong in God and stuff.
S: And there was just a change, in my heart you know. I didn’t feel so angry anymore being around positive people. And it feels really good inside me to knowing i’m providing for my family. And also that they look up to me as a role model. Not being a bad angry man but being the best dad that I can be. Not a perfect dad but a good dad you know that loves them. They know that I love them and that I can teach them the right ways of living.
M: I’d just never want to go back to that place where we were before in that dark place. Now we have a purpose and now we we’ve got something to live for. And wake up happy, and just fulfilled.
S: This is living testimony of coming from the darkness into the light. You can do it. You’ve gotta make steps to doing it and you can definitely find it in Jesus Christ.
M: Yeah.