When April Barton entered the Ruth House, she knew she needed help to reclaim her life from drug addiction, but wasn’t sure what would happen at the 10-acre secluded home in rural Gordon County. She completed the nine-month program and has spent the last 10 months working at the facility, helping other women turn their addiction to a love of the Lord.

“It works on the inner part,” said Barton, “why you do the things you do. We see miracles every-day.”

Barton, 36, said she heard of the Ruth House from a cellmate when she was in jail.

“She told me it was the closest to God you’d ever get,” said Barton, who describes her rap sheet as a “mile long,” with 13 felonies and that she was looking at 15 years in prison for selling drugs. Al-though her cell mate had relapsed, she encouraged Barton to go.

“She came to my graduation and she was clean,” Barton said.

Ruth House ministries is a regeneration program for women based on the Bible and that God can heal.

“There’s a lot of misconceptions about this place,” said Barton. “People first expect it to be run like a prison. But it’s not. It teaches you how to live without drugs.”

But that’s not the case. The several story house feels like home, or a college dorm. Day rooms are clean and airy and the two-woman bed rooms, although small, are cozy. The dining area has a restur-ant feel to it, thanks to Longhorn Steakhouse donating booths.

The women, nine at the moment, do everything from cooking, cleaning, and maintenance. They take care of the pond, fully stocked for fishing. They cut grass, repair broken equipment and learn how to keep house. Barton said one of her jobs was maintenance manager. Although it included a lot of tasks, one she is particularly proud of is making the bathroom more efficient by adding more room and decorating it to feel more feminine.

“It’s their home, many don’t know how to take care of their homes, so they learn,” said Barton.

The house can take up to 27 women and the backbone of the program is the Bible. They currently have nine, aging in range from 19 to 65 and they have fought battles against a wide range of drugs including meth and prescription medication. Throughout to home, posters and handwritten notes praise God for the deliverance and strength.

“We teach them how to use the Bible and how to find the answers they need. If we just tell them, it’s not going to do them any good,” said Barton. “We want them to know this is God’s word for them.”

Barton agreed to a 12 month “give back” after completing the program. She lives there and runs the office, helping organize activities for residents and fundraisers and donation drives to help the ministry.

“Most show up straight out of prison with nothing. Everything they own fits into a grocery bag,” she said. Thrift stores have been generous, but items like laundry detergent, shampoo, soap, and other personal care items are always needed.

“We’re struggling right now,” she admits.

But even with the struggles, Barton said she’s always amazed and feels blessed when a group calls to see how they can help out. For their “Love Loud” concert, featuring local band Day7, a church came and built their stage.

“They didn’t know us, but they wanted to serve God,” she said. “Who doesn’t want to reach some-one for Jesus?”

Freedom is introduced gradually and residents eventually can stay gone on Friday and Saturday, but must return Sunday in time for church.

“It helps them start repairing those broken relationships,” said Barton. “It gives them a little freedom, but not a large dose of it up front.”

The Ruth House has a room with a sleeper-sofa for moms to spend the night on-site with their children. It’s stocked with toys, a crib, changing table and other amenities. The program also has a component to help the women with those relationships. In fact, there is a family recovery program that family members must attend before the women are released that helps with the healing proc-ess.

“It helps them heal and learn how to forgive you,” she said.”I’ve seen whole families saved. It’s an awesome feeling.”

The family recovery program has seen its share of miracles, too. Some family members reach out for help with their problems.

“I’ve seen entire families saved,” she said. “Even the children know something incredible is hap-pening. They see the change.”

One thing residents have to do is apologize for how they’ve hurt their families. For Barton, the hardest thing she had to do was write her teen son, Zachary, whom she had not communicated with in years. She wrote him a letter apologizing for what she’d done and telling him about how God had worked in her life and mailed to what she thought was his dad’s house in Alabama.

“The address was wrong. It wasn’t even close,” she recalled.

After three weeks without a response, she thought that bridge had been burnt beyond repair. But then the letter came.

“The fact that it reached him was a miracle. That was all God,” she said. “He texts me everyday, or calls and he always tells me he loves me and he’s proud of me.”

She’s quick to give God the glory and people who have known her through the good times and bad see the change, even the judge who tried her case. She’s not surprised though.

“You can’t give your life to Christ and it now show,” she said.

Currently, they are getting ready for a Yard Sale Friday and Saturday at the Ingles in Jasper and could use donations of gently used items.

Those who wish to contribute can contact the Ruth House at 706-334-0078 or aprilb@ruthouseministries.org