Rachel – 2007 Graduate

I came to Mercy completely hopeless and numb. I thought my life was pointless and that the future was something I did not want to be a part of. Although I grew up in a loving and nurturing environment, I felt like I could never measure up. I strove for perfection in everything and, of course, I was left disappointed. I had been sexually abused, and that left me with many unanswered questions and confusion. I began to deal with severe depression and escaped from the harsh realities of the world any way that I could. I began to self-harm as a means of coping with pain, carving the word “forgotten” over and over again into my arm.

I found Mercy on the internet and was soon enrolled in the program. It was then that I felt hope for the first time. In my time at Mercy, God made the realities of His grace so real to me and I was able to break my addictive tendencies, my habits with self-harm, and my perfection issues. I was restored in areas that I did not even know needed healing, and my scars are no longer visible!

Four years later, I am living in an apartment in Seattle, Washington, studying English, communications and creative writing in college and I am completely free of self-harm. I am the copy editor of my college newspaper and also act as an intermittent features and opinions writer. I am serving as a barista on Sunday mornings for my church. I have also led a small group of young women recovering from various addictions who sought a better life, not just in recovery, but in complete freedom in Christ. To this day, Mercy is one of my greatest accomplishments.