Kailey – 2017 Graduate

Growing up, I went through a lot of emotional abuse. I didn’t feel accepted for who I was, and it was constantly the root of problems. I grew up believing that to be healthy you had to be thin. I found it hard to meet the physical requirements to be thin and became depressed. I started self-harming daily and suffered from suicidal thoughts. I struggled with pornography, which started a series of sexual conversations online. I sought out therapy, but was hurt by the therapist that I had and the three-year, unethical relationship we developed. Due to this unhealthy relationship, we ended up in court. I experienced trauma and overdosed on sedatives. I was hospitalized for attempts to end my own life.

My parents told me about Mercy Multiplied. It wasn’t the only option they found, but it was the one I chose because I knew I needed God to do something miraculous in my life. When I arrived, I was still struggling. I didn’t look anyone in the eyes or talk because I didn’t trust anyone.

A huge turning point for me at Mercy was submitting to the process and slowly giving up my toxic thoughts and actions. But I leaned into God and found myself talking to Him constantly throughout the day, and our relationship started to grow. Another specific turning point was when we watched a video by Mercy Multiplied’s Founder and President, Nancy Alcorn. She was showing pictures of the Mercy homes, and I saw the home I was staying in and just started weeping. In that moment, I was overwhelmed by God. I saw all the pain and events that happened to everyone before me. I saw all the steps of obedience that it took to make this home possible and to fill it with girls before me. Then I realized that God had changed so many lives through Mercy, but if He had to do that all just to save me, He would. And that revelation of the depth of His love was indescribable.

I don’t even know how to put it into words the ways God has impacted my life. I feel like I have a new life. God has given me joy and dreams and a whole new life. Not just a better version of the life I had, but a whole new life. I know I am not the same person; I feel the difference in my thoughts, heart, and actions. I have learned that, above everything, I love God and He is my shelter and strength, and that He loved me first.

After Mercy, I plan to go to college. I want to teach math and art for junior high schoolers to give them the love and acceptance that I didn’t feel like I received. I plan on using compassion and wisdom to help hurting teenagers and young adults. I want to keep the rest open for God to lead me, because I know He has more plans, and I cannot wait for every single one of them.

I want to thank the Mercy supporters. My life will never be the same. God changed my life at Mercy, and it wouldn’t have been possible without everything we had in the Mercy homes, from the smallest things like toothbrushes, to bigger things like beds and counseling. I pray that God blesses you in your blessing us because your obedience is saving His daughters.