Before finding her way to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, Carolyn* was as much in hell as a person could possibly be in this life. In fact, the details of Carolyn’s story seem almost too much to believe. As a young child she suffered rape, incest and abuse from uncles, both parents and foster father. The sexual abuse by her mother was especially damaging, leaving her with gender confusion and anger toward all women. By the time this troubled child became an adult, her health was a complete wreck. She suffered from Grave’s disease and had lost all but 7 of her teeth. A hyperthyroid condition combined with drug addictions caused her to weigh only 110 pounds, though she is 5’9” tall. Carolyn was emotionally unstable, homeless and addicted. She ended up living in a tent after having been sold for drugs by her former boyfriend and gang-raped by homeless friends she had tried to help.

The nightmare had to stop! So Carolyn did the hardest and bravest thing she could imagine — she decided to ask for help. The place she came for help was Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Welcomed into our Women’s Recovery Program last year, the change is amazing. Extensive dental care was done on her teeth, her Grave’s disease and thyroid condition are being treated and now free from drugs and alcohol. And Carolyn has goals. After completing our one-year recovery program, she plans to attend Green River College and become a nurse.

Perhaps most amazing is the spiritual change in Carolyn. “I’m not pushing at all. I just let God be in control, because without forgiveness, I can’t love. If I don’t have forgiveness, how can I sincerely love people and love myself? So that was a big step for me. And now I know what love is.” With God’s help, Carolyn’s healing and growth will continue, as one more example of the thousands of women and men who have been transformed through the ministry outreach efforts of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission.

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* Not her real name