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One Mom’s Journey...
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As a child my mom had custody of me because my father was addicted to drugs. After my father completed a rehab program, my twin brother and I began to have visitations with my father and when I was 7 years old he began to abuse me – the abuse continued until I told my mom and stepdad what was happening when I was 13 years old.
A few months after graduating from High School I was walking to work and was approached by a man who told me I was beautiful and we began to talk. Within 2 months I had decided to move in with this man, which did not go over well with my mom. Within a week of moving in with him, he began to abuse me, both emotionally and physically. Part of the abuse was that he kept me away from my family by moving me out of state, so for 2 years I did not have any contact with my family.
In March of 2020, I delivered a beautiful baby girl. In July my abuser proposed to me and by August he attempted to kill me. Shortly after this incident, my abuser went on a trip and I made the decision to seek help. I attempted to contact my Stepdad, via Skype (the only way I could find to communicate with them) and he assisted me with planning my escape. I had no money to get home, so I contacted a friend who gave me money and I got on a plane and went home that same day. I left for home with a few diapers and a change of clothes for my daughter.
After being back in California for 2 weeks, I applied to the Sheepfold and was accepted. I then began the very difficult Restraining Order and Custody process, which was made more difficult by the fact that my daughter and I had been a resident of another state and had only been in California a few weeks. My abuser filed for custody of our daughter, so I made the preparations to go to court outside of California, which included buying a plane ticket, booking a hotel, and booking a rental car because my request to be able to attend the hearing via Zoom wasn’t going through. By the grace of God my 12th request to appear via Zoom was granted just days before the hearing and I did not have to make the trip out of state. After all of this, my abuser did not show up to court that day so the case was dropped. I was then able to apply for custody and restraining order in California. My abuser did not show up to the next hearing either and I was granted a 5 year Restraining Order and full custody of my daughter.
During my stay at the Sheepfold I have met many great people, I have recommitted my life to God and was baptized for the first time. I have learned to stay determined, to never give up, and to do things right the first time so I won’t have to do it over again. I am so thankful to God for revealing who my abuser was to me and the court system. I am also very thankful that God has restored my life and everything the enemy tired to steal.
Update: This Mom has graduated from the Sheepfold, is housed safely, and is currently looking for work closer to her new location. During her time with us she pursued getting her driver’s license (something that became a little more complicated during the pandemic) and days before graduating our program she passed her driving test and was gifted a car that had been donated to The Sheepfold – which just happened to be the exact make and model of her “dream” car!
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