We moved for my dad’s job when I was young. His company went bankrupt and shut down, which led to foreclosure on our house. This was the first time we lived in poverty. I blamed myself for my family’s hardships and coped through developing an eating disorder and running to guys for validation. When I was 14, I was raped at church by my best friend who was 22. Then I moved on to high school, where my classmates would take my lunch and throw it at me. My family was falling apart at this point, and the dysfunction led me to start self-harming. I also looked in other places for the love I wasn’t getting from my mother. I confided in my youth leader at church, who suggested that I come to live with her. A few months after my 16th birthday, I left my home to live with her without telling anyone where I was going. The situation was not as she promised. She proceeded to traffick me for sex. She handed me $21,000 in cash and told me that was my worth. When I was taken back to my family, I applied to Mercy.
I found out about Mercy through a family friend who went through the program when she was 16. I decided to apply because as I imagined my future, it didn’t look hopeful. I knew I was worth more than what my abusers told me, and I wanted a fresh start for my life. When I first got to the home, I was very insecure and didn’t trust anyone. I was very angry and upset that people were laughing. I thought everyone should be miserable.
I got serious about my journey after being in the program for about a month and a half. I began to realize how serious everyone else was about my healing. It finally sunk it that the staff was there to support me along the way.
At Mercy, God proved himself to me in many ways. He showed me my value and what real love is. I am happy now because I know the truth about my worth and who I am in Him.
I am going to start college in August. I will be working as a nanny and studying nutrition and human development.
I would like to thank the Mercy donors for playing a key role in me finding my freedom. Without you I wouldn’t have been able to come to Mercy because I couldn’t afford other residential facilities.