THE GOD WHO RESTORES Carissa's Testament

Carissa Hess grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, in a life marked by instability.

“My mom was an addict and had a lot of mental illness,” Hess said. “My dad left when I was a baby.”

Her grandmother, the only steady presence in her life, prayed with her consistently. When she passed away, Hess and her mother were left to survive on their own.

“I grew up homeless the majority of my life,” she said. “In and out of shelters, strangers’ houses, abandoned cars.”

As a teenager, Hess was pulled into similar broken patterns, while also suffering from narcolepsy.

“I got involved with drugs and alcohol at a very young age,” she said. She dropped out of school in 10th grade and became her mother’s caretaker, consumed by hopelessness.

Still, her grandmother’s faith stuck with her.

“She instilled in me that, yes, there is a God, and he loves you,” Hess said. “But I had a really difficult time seeing God’s presence in my life.”

At 18, everything changed. “I found out I was pregnant,” she said. “That was my turning point. Her name’s Destiny. She changed our destiny.”

Hess vowed that her child would never endure what she had. But with no guidance, building a new life was intimidating.

Determined to provide for her daughter, she earned her GED, then an associate’s degree from Penn State, and later a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University. She married her husband, Matthew, who had a similarly rough upbringing, while pregnant with their second daughter. They moved to Indiana seeking stability for their growing family, later welcoming a son.

In April 2025, Hess graduated with a doctorate in occupational therapy from IWU. Her journey of restoration had come full circle.

Looking back, Hess realized God had been behind the scenes all along.

“He has always showed up,” she said. “Bigger and better than I ever anticipated.”

Now preparing to enter the field full time, she hopes to bring healing to others.

“I feel like I’m able to empathize and really understand what families are going through,” Hess said. “Whether it’s addiction, mental illness, or poverty. I feel like I’ve lived it.”

Hess’s life, once about survival, now abounds in purpose. Every step forward is a testament to the God who restores.