When I was two months old, my biological dad relinquished his rights. Shortly after, my mom married my stepdad, and we moved. My home life growing up was chaotic, abusive and full of neglect. When I was around three years old, a close family member began sexually abusing me. After the births of my two younger siblings, things got worse. The sexual abuse escalated, and when I tried to tell an adult, I was punished for telling what was assumed as lies. Both of my parents worked a lot and they were constantly fighting. After my stepdad went to jail, we began being stalked by a man and our lives threatened. After that we began moving around a lot – living with my grandmother and my mom’s boyfriend at different times. During that time I was raped. Through a series of events, I was removed from my home and put into foster care. After a few months, I was placed back with my stepdad. I continued to experience sexual and physical abuse. When I came to school with visible bruises, my best friend took me to the school counselor. After hearing about the abuse, the counselor reported what was happening, and I was placed in foster care again. After a few abusive and heartbreaking situations, I moved in with a great family whom I was adopted by on December 6, 2013. I carried a lot of baggage and hatred from my childhood. After I was adopted I started acting out, lying and being manipulative, and seeking attention from all the wrong places. When my parents found out about all that I was doing, they knew I needed help. We started looking online for programs, and my parents eventually heard about Mercy from friends.
I decided to apply to Mercy because I knew I needed help healing from my past. Everything was going down hill for me, and I was giving up on life. I was super depressed and didn’t know how to deal with my life. When I came to Mercy I was a mess – scared, confused, anxious, and doubtful.
A major turning point came for me when I realized I needed to and could take my time at Mercy seriously. I found true grace from God and had the realization that He is who He says He is. I started to spend my time focusing on healing, and that’s when I saw a change in myself.
During my time at Mercy, God showed me who I am in Him and how valuable I am to Him. I found the truth about who God is and that I am complete in Him. God has shown me grace and mercy throughout this program. Mercy has helped me heal and has taught me what to do in times of struggle. I had a lot of consistency and stability at Mercy, and that made all of the difference in my healing process. Mercy has shown me how to work through tough times. I will definitely leave Mercy using the tools that they have provided for me and help someone else the way that Mercy has helped me.
After graduation from Mercy I plan to finish getting my GED and begin serving in my church. I want to go to college and study cosmetology. I have dreams of getting married, having kids and serving in ministry.
Thank you so much to the Mercy donors for everything you provided for me to stay at Mercy. My life was truly changed, and it was because of your support that I got to experience the true miracle of our Faithful God!