Kat

I grew up with five siblings in a rough area of our city. My parents separated when I was six months old, and my dad later remarried my step mom who adopted me. When I was six years old, my stepmom committed suicide. Convinced it was my fault, I was sad, confused, and scared. My dad’s drug addiction caused him to be emotionally and physically absent as he was in and out of jail. This caused me to feel abandoned, rejected, and unwanted. I was passed around from one family member to another. For five years during that time, I experienced physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by several family members. I began to experiment with alcohol and marijuana, which led to a nine-year drug addiction. Eventually the alcohol was no longer enough to mask the pain so I began to experiment with other drugs. I became promiscuous, and this led me to unhealthy relationships with several men. I became pregnant at age 15 and ended up having three children over a period of a few years. Two of my children have been taken by child services due to my drug addiction and being unable to care for them. In 2011 I lost my dad to a drug overdose. Not knowing how to deal with my emotions, my addiction started to spiral out of control. I began to sell myself to support my drug habit, and I eventually became homeless. I was raped on multiple occasions by drug dealers and men who promised to take care of me. I was desperate to find a way out, but I didn’t know any other way. Between the ages of 18 and 24, I had been incarcerated on multiple occasions. I reached a point where I was sick and tired of continuing in the same cycle. I hit my rock bottom the last time I went to jail. I was hurt, angry and desperate for change, but I had no hope. I cried out desperately to God, not sure if He even heard me.

I reached out to my sister, who is a strong believer, for help. I was in a desperate situation. She shared her faith with me when she had come to visit me a few months prior. I noticed she had this happiness and joy that I so badly wanted but wasn’t sure how to get. While she visited she encouraged me to me fill out applications to two different faith-based programs. I believe when I reached out to my sister, God answered my prayers I was not even sure He had heard at the time. Later I found out that my sister had been praying for me for a year. It was encouraging for me to see this answer to prayer. God used my sister to do the miracle in my life that He had planned.

A major turning point during my time at Mercy was after I returned from Christmas break. I had fallen back into old behaviors and patterns over the break. Back at Mercy I was encouraged to focus my time on what the Lord wanted to do. It was during this time that I made a decision to completely surrender my past to Him. I wasn’t going to allow the enemy to steal from me anymore! Living in a house with so many women definitely was challenging, but in that I learned a lot about myself and was able to work on areas that needed improvement. Fighting is an everyday battle for me, but Mercy Multiplied has equipped me with the tools I need to walk out this freedom God has given me and that I’ve fought really hard for. I no longer need to put my struggles behind a mask. The more vulnerable I am, the more I experience the freedom God gave me.

During my stay at Mercy, God did a miracle in my life. I encountered the love of God and His presence for the first time, and it was very unfamiliar to me. I always knew there was a God but I didn’t know who He was. At Mercy I found my identity and self-worth in Christ. I learned that God will never abandon me. God was gentle to me as I began to let the walls down and let the staff in and take off those masks I used to hide behind. My counselor helped me to realize I don’t need them any more because I have Jesus. During my time at Mercy, God showed me that through everything He has been there protecting me.

After graduating from Mercy, I am going to continue my healing process through attending Teen Challenge to create an even firmer foundation in the Lord and prepare for a full transition back into life.

Thank you so much to all the Mercy supporters for making it possible for me to attend Mercy. Because of your obedience to the Lord, girls like me are able to experience healing and true freedom and gain a relationship with Jesus!