Throughout my life, I experienced many traumatic events, a few requiring God to intervene for my safety. I grew up knowing about God, but I never had a solid relationship with Him. In elementary, I attended a Christian school, and I chose to start attending church. However, by my early adulthood years, I had lost my passion for a relationship with God. Due to feelings of emptiness and hopelessness, I began to believe lies about God’s view of me. I believed that He hated me and received pleasure from my pain. I also suffered with depression, self-harm, and an eating disorder, all of which left me feeling empty, hopeless, and searching for a way out. By this time, I didn’t want to live this life any longer. Although I have been through multiple hospitalizations for depression and residential stays for eating disorder treatment, I was left cycling through relapse after relapse. Between the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, I realized I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I was desperate for something new; I was desperate for change.
At Mercy, I began to understand the difference between knowing of God and intimately knowing God. I learned how to allow godly people to surround me with love and support, and how to accept God’s love and support for me. God showed me how unconditional His love is through the love I received from the staff members. No matter how hard I tried to push them away, they continued to love and support me. Over time, I opened up to hearing God’s voice again. Mercy also taught me how to renew my mind through the application of scriptures. As I began to replace the lies with the truths of God’s Word, I was able to address the roots of each issue, rather than only modifying the behaviors. God brought me to see His true character as El Roi and Jehovah Rapha. Because of coming to Mercy, I can walk in freedom, knowing that I am seen, known, and loved by God.
After Mercy, I plan to obtain my master’s degree in counseling and possibly a PhD as well. I will also continue to work toward finishing my provisional hours in addictions counseling as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. My biggest desire is to share my testimony of how God transformed my life and restored my hope. I want to share with others how He transformed my life in hopes they will be drawn closer to Him. It is my prayer that in sharing my testimony, God will receive all the glory!
At Mercy, the Lord met me in my pain and anger. He transformed my life and gave me hope for my future. To all the donors, your generous love and support made this possible for me, and I cannot thank you enough.