Lawndale Native Shares Story Of Deliverance

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Denise Jones, a native of Chicago's Lawndale community changed her life for the better. (Photo Courtesy of Denise Jones)
Denise Jones, a native of Chicago's Lawndale community changed her life for the better. (Photo Courtesy of Denise Jones)

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Jones was arrested 17 times during her years of criminal activity. (Photo Courtesy of Denise Jones)

By the time she was 24, Denise Jones was at a crossroads. Her body was warped with physical and emotional pain. Her hands and feet were swollen and her gums oozed blood with the slightest touchall a result of substance abuse.

After years of criminal activity, hustling and drug abuse she was ready to turn her life around but was unsure of how to do it.

I was at my wit end; my body was in bad, bad shape. I couldnt go no further, Jones told the Chicago Citizen.

It would be several more years before she would leave the street life alone completely and walk a path towards righteousness.

In 1986, Jones life was transformed through spirituality in God's True Holiness Deliverance Ministrya decision she says saved her life. She has been sober for 25 years.

Born in Chicagos Lawndale neighborhood; Jones later moved to K-Town and eventually relocated to the Rockwell Gardens housing project with her mother.

As a small child, she lived with her grandmother. Then one day, her mother decided it would be best if she raised her own children.

Jones said once she went to live with her mother, she was introduced to a lifestyle of drugs, sex and crime. She became a heroin addict at age 12.

Jones and her mother were both victims of incest and molestation; dealing with this along with feeling insecure and inferior set the stage for her destructive lifestyle.

Speaking for my family first my mother and her sister were molested by their father, they were too afraid to say something because, he spoiled them with gifts and if told that would end. I believe my grandmother knew that my grandfather was doing that, but he the bread winner of the family thats why nothing was ever said, Jones said.

On the street, she was known simply as DJ. The two letter acronym masked any trace of femininityjust what she wanted. Jones struggled with her sexual orientation for years and believed she was a man trapped in a womans body. As a result, she had several relationships with women.

To serve as a testimony to her perseverance, in 2010, Jones penned an autobiography titled, Who Said It Couldnt Be Done?

She first decided to write an autobiography in 1995, two years after earning a GED.

The author admits that writing was not always been one of her strong points but she was determined to chronicle her life story to motivate others.

The book is a heart wrenching and engaging account of a young womans journey through poverty, drug abuse and incarceration. It captures years of incest, drug abuse, and molestation that sent Jones life spiraling out of control.

Now a deliverance minister and motivational speaker, she has advice for youth who are caught up in the world of drugs and violence.

Stop and think twice before you leap, for every action is a reaction, the end result is death! Jones told the Chicago Citizen.

Today, Jones, 51, uses her story as a testimony. Speaking to women in jails, homeless shelters and drug treatment facilities, her mission is to help others who are dealing with similar issues she has overcome.

In 2007, the minister earned a bachelors degree from National Louis University and in 2009 she earned a masters degree from Spertus College.

Jones said she continued her education to prove that people who are products of catastrophic circumstances can succeed.

by Thelma SardinTwitter: @thelmasardin

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