Tori – 2015 Graduate

I was raised in the church, and I was blessed with a loving, God-seeking family. However, the enemy started attacking me at a young age. When I was 13, I became heavily depressed and suicidal. I felt ashamed because I thought it made me a bad Christian, so as I got older my depression and suicidal thoughts sunk deeper. All throughout high school, I struggled with self-harm, bulimia, and exposing my body on the internet. I went through counseling to heal from those issues, but my depression remained. In the summer of 2014, I began partying and smoking with a new group of friends. I gave my virginity to a guy in the group, and he raped me two weeks later. My ‘friends’ became very hostile towards me. I moved out of my apartment and pressed charges. I never felt safe leaving the house; I felt completely tormented.

My family and my church are very involved in supporting Mercy, so I knew about the program way before I needed it. I applied because I needed a safe, spiritual place to go to heal after I was raped. I arrived at Mercy in October of that year, and God started working in me immediately. I was desperate to have my life back, and through my brokenness I found healing. God repaired my heart and made me feel like a new, pure gem. I graduated in March of 2015, and I felt so renewed and close to God. Any fear I had of going back home completely dissolved. I was ready to live out my freedom!

After graduation, my life changed completely. Unfortunately, my sexual assault case was dropped due to insufficient evidence. My heart was broken, but I was still able to close that chapter of my life because justice comes from the Lord, not from men. I have started the process of writing a book about my experience with sexual assault in hopes that I can one day use my story to minister to the world. It is a huge dream, but with God anything is possible. I got married in June of 2016 to the love of my life, and we are so happy. My husband has been a huge part of my healing process, and I am so blessed to have him by my side! I am blown away by how different my life has become. We truly have a good, good Father.

To all of Mercy’s supporters: thank you so much for your willingness to give. Without your help, I wouldn’t have the hope and future that God restored to me through Mercy.