I was raised in a Christian family, but was sexually abused by a man in my neighborhood at age six. I began to develop anxiety, which heightened when I began being verbally abused a few years later. I started to self-harm and struggle with suicidal thoughts. At age 14 I was admitted to the hospital where I was violated by guys and experienced the occult. I began to struggle with severe anger, and have homicidal thoughts along with my suicidal thoughts. To cope with that, I started to date girls, sneak around, mess with drugs, and practice the occult. I continued to severely self-harm, and my life tumbled downwards until a very serious suicide attempt that brought me to Mercy.
I found out about Mercy from my psychiatrist. I decided to apply because I knew I needed help, and my options seemed to be Mercy or a government-run facility. When I arrived at Mercy, I was extremely angry and could barely speak to people without having an anxiety attack. I was ashamed of myself, and did everything I could to hide myself from people.
My biggest turning point was when we listened to a teaching by Mercy Founder and President, Nancy Alcorn. I began to realize that God’s will isn’t for bad things to happen, and that He is not the cause of abuse. Hearing that truth turned my whole world around. I had always heard the bad things in my life were God punishing me or hurting me so that I had a story to tell. I realized I’d hated God for so long for things He didn’t cause. After that I began embracing a relationship with Him.
God did a complete 360 in my life. He taught me how to truly hear His voice, and He took away all the things that kept me bound for so long. I’ve learned that living life with God is far better than any methods of entertainment the world gave me. I now want to honor God by taking care of myself.
After graduating from Mercy I hope to finish high school. I will be starting a job working with 4th-6th grade girls, leading them on a Godly path while also helping them finish school work.
To the Mercy donors, thank you for the support that helped provide me a future that I never would have had without Mercy.