A Story of Courage

She grew up in an Amish home...one of 14 children.  She was abused by her own father, and at the age of 16 followed in the footsteps of several of her siblings....she left home.  With a few things in a bag she jumped the fence and began to walk.  She changed her clothes along the way with some jeans and a sweatshirt she had stashed away from a town friend.  Her friend met her in the night and put her up in their barn for a few days.  With a little help, she found a home to live in temporarily and got a job working in a convenient store.  There she met a man and became pregnant within a few short days of knowing him. This cycle of sleeping with men continued for many years and drugs and alcohol soon became her escape.  It was only a matter of time before she could no longer hold on to a job and and her child was taken from her and put in foster care.  Within the next 5 years she had 3 more children, two of which did not survive childbirth and the other was given into the custody of an abusive father.  Somewhere along the way, she found herself in Church and for the first time she heard a story of HOPE that no one had ever shared with her before.  Now pregnant again, she began to search for resources and found help for all areas of her life right in her own community and Church.  Today, she maintains two jobs, is clean of all substance abuse, has custody of two of her children and shares her story of hope with all who will listen.  Her courage was inside of her the day she left her home.  She allowed the world to influence her and steal what God had given her.  Through the simple invite of a friend to Church she found her courage again. When she allowed God to heal the pain of her past choices and the affects of others choices on her.....the dream she once had to live a better life had come true.  She now has a small, clean and beautifully decorated home, two good jobs and amazing children.  Her friendships are too many to count and the love she pours out to others is because of her thankful heart for a new life in Christ.   She has her white picket fence...it had to be built from raw materials with lots of sanding and bloody hands, but it is beautiful.  The price was steep, but the reward was worth it all!  She was meant to do great things and it took courage to break free!