At a young age, my parents divorced, then my father left the picture and did not return. At age ten, my mom started dating an emotionally and physically abusive man who would remain in our lives for ten years. I hated living in my own house, and I couldn’t wait to go away to college. In college, I began partying and having many sexual encounters from that time into my early twenties. I was sexually assaulted on two different occasions. I continued my careless behaviors and filled in the gaps with destructive romantic relationships. When I was 23, my mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I was her sole caretaker until she passed away. All of this left me broken. I was full of feelings of fear, rejection, and abandonment. These roots manifested into depression, anxiety, control, thoughts of self-harm, anger, obsessive behaviors with food and exercise, promiscuity, and many other things that did not serve me well.
A few months after my mom’s passing, I finally answered God’s invitation for salvation. God had been knocking at my heart my entire life, but this was the first time I chose to follow Him. I knew I needed to let him be the Lord of my life, and He led me to Mercy Multiplied.
When I came to Mercy, I could not have imagined all that God would do in my life. At Mercy, I began to dig up my roots and replace them with God’s love, hope, and truth. I learned who I am in Christ -chosen and loved. I forgave those who had hurt me in the past, including myself. I put my shame on the altar, and God exchanged it for glory! I received freedom, joy, hope, and life from the Lord. I regained pieces of my personality that I had not seen in a long time. Now I hear God’s voice, and I follow Him. Obedience is an essential part of my Christian walk.
During my time at Mercy, God placed a call for ministry on my heart. I want to share the freedom God has given me with other people. My plans after Mercy are to pursue a career in ministry, be a dog mom, and join a grace-filled, Bible-believing church. My long-term plans are to get married, buy a home, and become a mother.
I am thankful for the freedom I found in Christ. He gave me a restored heart, and I want to spend my life showing how Jesus is a chain breaker to help others find abundant life in Him. I am an overcomer, and I have overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of my testimony.
I would tell anyone who is thinking about applying to Mercy that the program changed my life. I have healed from the life-controlling issues I had before Mercy. My relationship with God, others, and myself is better than it has ever been.
To all the donors, thank you so much. Your support enabled me to be in a safe space and have all my needs provided for. I was able to process my life’s hurts and grow in my relationship with the Lord. I am leaving a changed person with a heart that loves God and others.