“I know the Lord has brought us here. I am so grateful for this place.”
What was life like before coming to the House of Cherith?
Before coming to HOC, my life was crazy unsafe. I was constantly trying to protect my girls. I was in a domestic violence reltaionship and it was full of sexual abuse. Within this four year relationship, I was raped twice, drugged, given alcohol, and became pregnant with my daughters. I was constantly trying not to get hurt. My daughters saw me get raped, mistreated, and abused. My oldesst daughter was even touched sexually by her father.
In 2021 my ex-husband went into the airforce, and I took the girls and fled. He threatened to take my girls away. I couldn’t think for myself. I became an alcoholic and even tried to take my own life.
Soon after I moved into a new house with my girls, I met my trafficker on Facebook. He was well-known in the community and had many connections. He would rape me, bring other men around my girls, and make them sit on his friend’s lap. His ‘sister’ got me a job as a sex worker on the phone. She then started to sell me and rent me out to others.
One night, I was able to escape with my girls to a safe house. I have not talked to them since.
What are you learning at HOC?
While being at House of Cherith, I am learning that people really do care for me and my girls. I am learning to speak up for myself and to heal. Since being here, I have dedicated my life back to the Lord, and my oldest daughter gave her life to the Lord.
God has never forsaken me. He has always been with me. I have been learning new boundaries, coping skills, and learning self-care for the first time and applying it daily. I am beginning to bond and heal my relationship with my girls. I am nowhere near healing everything, but I am so thankful to be in a place where God can move in my life, and I am watching him heal me and my girls.
I know the Lord has brought us here. I am so grateful for this place.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
After House of Cherith, my goal is to join and graduate from the police academy. I want to be able to get my own home and learn how to live a stable life. I want a life for my girls to be taken care of.
-A | A Resident at the House of Cherith