On January 8, Prairie Hills Community Church hosted Ladies Night at the Niobrara County Fairgrounds. Many women throughout the community braved the chilly night to come together in fellowship, drink Italian sodas, enjoy a potato bar with salad and hear the guest speaker of the evening, Emmalee Shoup.

The theme of the evening was “On Christ, the solid rock I stand.” Peg DesEnfants greeted women at the door. Tables were decorated with small stones adorned by the word “Hope.”

A group of volunteers made Italian sodas and ladies from the church prepared the meal of the evening.

DesEnfants said, “We are starting the new year with our Ladies Nights and we are so happy to have everyone join us.”

The event kicked off with a spirited game of “Would you rather?” Winners were ushered to the head of the for the buffet. The questions often elicited a roar of laughter.

While introducing Shoup, DesEnfants said that she hadn’t known the guest speaker for a long time. However, DesEnfants stated that she had developed an affinity for Shoup’s contagious smile. DesEnfants also expressed admiration for Shoup’s resilience in the face of multiple adversities.

“Emmalee came up to me a year ago and said that God has told her to share her story,” DesEnfants said.

Shoup spoke to the women about her broken childhood, which led her into a lifestyle of addiction.

“I just wanted to say what a beautiful community of people we have here,” Shoup began. “And what a beautiful group of women. I don’t think you know how beautiful you are.”

Shoup and her husband Bill both are employed at the Wyoming Women’s Center (WWC). Shoup works as an addiction counselor and her husband works in maintenance. According to Shoup, they had always wanted to move to Wyoming and a door was opened for that very opportunity in 2019.

“Things just fell into place with our move here,” Shoup said. “I had first applied at WWC and, on that same day, I got hired. The selling of our house in Colorado went quickly. The renting and buying of our home came easy here. There were clear signs from God that this was the right move.”

Shoup was born and raised in southern Texas. Her father hailed from Mexico. She joked that most people were unaware of her Mexican heritage.

“I love this event every year,” Shoup said. “I am really honored to be here.”

She began by talking about why people needed hope and where her hope comes from.

“What I do know is when a group of women get together, something really powerful happens,” she began. “I want to thank Miss Peggy and her team. There is so much work that goes into this thing, thank you ladies.”

Shoup gave her testimony, which began with her rebellious teenage years and ended with emancipation. “We need an escape,” Shoup said of addiction. “Sometimes it’s drugs. Sometimes, it’s alcohol or it’s shopping.” 

She explained that her former lifestyle involved addictions to alcohol, drugs and sex.

“I got really lost,” Shoup said. “I was addicted to rock and roll and drugs. It nearly destroyed me.”

According to Shoup, it was a friend who kept inviting her to her church that finally brought her to Christ. She said that she had finally cried to God and, 19-years later, she was clean and sober.

“I finally surrendered myself to Jesus,” she said. “I accepted Him into my heart. I am open to help. I am open to learning. I put my ego away. I knew I couldn’t be strong enough to handle addiction, but God is. I have a new hope and I am changed through the power of Christ.”

Shoup, who was a high school dropout, finally returned to school, earning her bachelor’s degree. She is now working on her master’s degree.

Shoup also exhorted the single ladies in the audience to find a Godly man. She said that she has an amazing husband that has helped her throughout the years. Tragically, the couple lost their son to suicide in 2018. Shoup spoke of their grieving and their reliance on God through the storm.

Shoup felt that she had been called to help other women who were struggling with addiction. In 2015, she started a nonprofit home for those women. Dubbed The Way Home for Women, this shelter was situated in Colorado. It was a place for women suffering addictions to live and work through their issues.

“We helped hundreds of women through our sober living program,” Shoup said.

Unfortunately, in 2021 the home closed. However, Shoup has a five-year goal to begin a nonprofit place for women here in Lusk. She also announced that she had started a women’s group that meets every Monday night at 6 p.m. at Prairie Hills Community Church at 625 East 8^th Street.