Life before Mercy was filled with abuse for the first 14 years of my life. I was sexually abused by multiple men from ages 4 to 11 and because of that, abuse was all I knew. I was put into foster care from ages 11 to 14. Once I met and moved in with my adoptive family, I still struggled with my past and continued carrying all the guilt and shame from my past, while pursuing unhealthy sexual relationships.
After hearing about Mercy at an event called Safe Refuge, I was first unsure if I wanted to apply, but I knew I wanted to have freedom from my past and my struggle with sexual sin. In November of 2018 I came for a tour of the Lincoln home and felt God’s peace wash over me. I applied and got accepted in December, then walked through the doors of Mercy carrying all my baggage and ready to work.
At Mercy, God has shown me what it means to walk in freedom and what it looks like to receive His love. His love is perfect, real, and true! His love has completely filled the holes in my heart and has healed my wounds.
After graduation, I plan to go home and work part time, while building a stronger relationship with my family and work on rebuilding broken friendships.
Mercy donors, thank you for making my experience here at Mercy free-of-charge! Because of this program, I was able to take time in my life to stop and work on myself and gain freedom from the things that held me captive for my whole life.