I was born to young, loving parents who hadn’t planned for me but welcomed me with open arms. For the first nine years of my life, I was an only child, living a quiet and simple life. That changed when my siblings were born, and my parents started a business. Life became busy and sometimes overwhelming. God wasn’t really a big part of our home—just someone we thanked before meals. Even as a child, I struggled with feeling unseen and not good enough. I believed I had to be perfect to be loved.  

Middle school brought a new hope. I thought maybe I could finally be noticed and accepted. But very quickly, I learned that love and attention seemed to depend on how well I performed—how I performed, acted, or succeeded. By the time I was twelve, I had a full plan for my life, hoping that if I did everything right, I’d finally feel okay. But inside, I was anxious, stressed, and exhausted. In high school, I threw myself into work and relationships to try and find my worth. Instead, I ended up battling depression, anxiety, and self-harm. 

My family began going to church when I was fourteen, and I didn’t know what to do with faith—it felt like just one more area where I couldn’t measure up. After high school, I entered a difficult relationship that was emotionally and physically abusive. I pulled away from my budding faith and felt more lost than ever. When I left that relationship, I moved hoping for a fresh start, but the same pain and habits followed me. I worked nonstop to try and fix myself, but nothing seemed to help. 

Eventually, I started working as a residential assistant at a ministry that helps teen girls who’ve been through trauma. I saw real healing happening in their lives, and it made me wonder if healing could be possible for me too. A mentor encouraged me to apply to Mercy Multiplied, a faith-based program for young women facing life-controlling struggles. I didn’t think I was “bad enough” to go—but I applied anyway. When I was accepted, I was scared, but I showed up. 

My time at Mercy changed my life. Through the Residential Counseling Program and the Keys to Freedom study, I learned that healing doesn’t come from trying harder—it comes from letting God in. I began to understand that I wasn’t too broken to be loved. I started naming and facing the lies I had believed for so long and replacing them with truth. I learned to listen to my emotions instead of running from them, and I began to see that being vulnerable isn’t weakness—it’s a way to grow. 

After Mercy, I’m not perfect, but I am deeply changed. I’ve learned how to walk in freedom, not fear. I know now that my worth doesn’t come from what I do, but from who God says I am. There will still be hard days, but I face them with a new kind of strength—the kind that comes from being fully known, fully loved, and fully held by God. 

I could not be more grateful to be able to go through this program with the support of donors like you. I wouldn’t have been able to be equipped with the tools and healing that I have been if this program weren’t free of charge. Thank you so much!