My life has been short, only 20 years, but it was a life of stress and confusion. I was neglected as a child, and consequently had a learning disability and a speech impediment until fourth grade. I was made fun of and didn’t understand why. As a little girl I was molested by my cousin and struggled with sexual activities. In addition, my parents ended up getting divorced when I was ten.
In middle school I began chasing after boys. I started an abusive relationship when I was 13, giving him my virginity. During that relationship, I fought with girls at school, my teachers, my parents, and myself. I was eventually kicked out of school because of the relationship. However, in the midst of my disobedience, a vice principal from the school treated me like I was worth something; he and many others loved me even though I didn’t deserve it, treating me with kindness.
When I started high school I broke up with my boyfriend. Something inside me was saying I was worth more than to give myself over to death. I made some new friends and my passion for soccer grew. I had been playing soccer since I was 5 and was very good at it, until I tore a ligament in my knee when I was 15.
During the recuperation time from my injury I was deeply depressed and going to counseling for help. I had a lot of need; I was desperate for direction and love. I was so frustrated and confused about the meaning of love. I thought, “Why is it that people say they love you but do the complete opposite of what love should be?” That was when God told me that the only place I could find true love was in Him.
I then went to a church where people worshiped Him. It was there that God filled me with His Holy Spirit and joy for the first time. It was there that I gave my life to Him. Chasing after Him, I attended the School of Ministry at Calvary Chapel Boise, and then did a two-month internship in Mexico City, where I fell in love with my soon-to-be husband. It was love at first sight.
I completed Healed and Set Free. During the class, I saw how God is the same God with the same Spirit that can heal anyone from anything—if they believe and receive and extend His forgiveness. Now I am getting married to an amazing man of God in Mexico. My story now is clear, that is to glorify God with forgiveness in my heart. Through God’s great act of forgiveness for me, and with the help of the five tools, I am able to forgive my past and anyone who hurts me in the present.
My story can be your story too, if you believe and receive. He is always there with us. I am now praying to take the study to Mexico and share with many women who need also to be healed and set free. For “as a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out my sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were on a cloudy and dark day” (Ezekiel 34:12) Thank you for reading my story.
