I was adopted at the age of five because my birth parents were addicted to drugs. This led me to struggle with abandonment and feeling like I wasn’t good enough. When I was younger I was sexually abused by various family members. This left me feeling empty. In college, I started drinking and partying which eventually lead me to being sexually molested by two different guys. When I found out about Mercy I was at my lowest point in life. I found out about Mercy originally when I was listening to the song, “He knows My Name”, by Francesca Battastelli. After watching the video I decided to research Mercy. I applied because I knew if I didn’t come to Mercy I wasn’t going to survive any longer. When I walked through the doors of Mercy I was completely emotionless and continued to shut myself off from people several times.
One major turning point for me was when God spoke to me about a baby bird. I was questioning some points in my life when He said, “When a baby bird leaves the nest for the first time, gravity will try to tell it that it can’t fly, but I didn’t create it to stay on the ground. Life’s troubles will try to tell you that you aren’t meant to succeed, but I didn’t create you to be defeated by them. Like the baby bird I created you to rise above the trouble and fly”. It was the first time that I actually believed that God was for me and not against me. While at Mercy, God has taken away the inner whirlwind of pent up emotions and replaced it with a peace that only comes from Him. He has shown me that in the midst of life’s storms He is bigger and able to take care of me as long as I trust Him.
My plans after Mercy include going back to school for my degree in Criminal Justice. My long-term goal is to eventually use that degree to open a group home for children who are left on the streets because of neglect or those who have parents on drugs. The purpose of the group home will be to give these kids a safe place to go to for food, shelter, and a safe community.
I would love to thank all of you who helped Mercy keep going all of these years. Without your support, girls like me would have never had the opportunity to experience the freedom that being at Mercy has given. Thank you for your love and passion for this ministry.