I did not grow up in a healthy family. My father sexually abused me for 7 years, and my mother mentally and physically abused me, depriving me of food and clothing. As a result, I got into trouble a lot and started taking drugs and drinking at 10 years old. I felt like I had done something wrong to be born into this family.

When I got pregnant at 16, my mom signed me over to my husband, who was then 21. We were married for 25 years and had 4 children together. During that period, I was still drinking every day, pretending I had it all together.

When my brother committed suicide at 30 years old, I was devastated. I was always protective of my siblings and felt guilty for letting him down. Soon after this, I found out that my husband had been having an affair, and we got a divorce.

I had so much pain building inside of me, but instead of realizing I needed God, I filled the void inside by dating another man. He seemed sweet at first but ended up mentally and physically abusing me for 4 years.

At this point, I became suicidal and begged God to kill me. I felt heavy with condemnation and saw my life as evidence that God hated me. So I escaped and moved 2,000 miles away to start over in Las Vegas in a small efficiency apartment. I was broke, wounded, and beaten down.

One day, I was watching television when a pastor called Joseph Prince appeared. I had never heard of him before but after 30 minutes of watching his program, I was a crumbling mess. I was so touched by the love of God. He made me realize that even though I felt dirty and broken, Jesus still loves me unconditionally. Never in my life had I felt so free and loved! After that, I went on a journey of healing where I simply rested and let God move and lead me.

Today I am taking care of my dad after 26 years of not seeing him. I also stopped drinking and went back to school to get my GED at the age of 52. After going to college, I’m now in a great new job with more benefits than I feel I deserve.

Thank you, Joseph Prince, for walking your walk. Seeing you love Jesus as you do has touched me and changed my life. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the rest of my journey for I know Jesus and I will be hand-in-hand through it all. My heavenly Father is the best Abba I could have ever wanted!