I had a pretty complicated beginning in this life, so please bear with me.
I was born in Adis Ababa Ethiopia in 1990. I do not remember my birth mother. As I was told, she died when I was an infant. My father took another wife and my little brother Amanuail was born when I was 2 years old. My father’s second wife also passed away. We all lived together with my father’s parents. Sadly, my father took his own life when my brother and I were just 4 and 6 years old. My dear grandparents were a huge part of our whole world, but they were incapable of taking care of us. We were both placed in an orphanage after our father’s passing.
After 2 years in the orphanage, we were adopted together by an American family. As the years passed, Amanuail fit into the family effortlessly. However, without going into all of the details, I could not stay within their household.
At the age of 16, I was removed from the family and spent the rest of my adolescent years in foster placements. At 18, I became emancipated from the system. At 19, I married and fully devoted myself to a new life and a man I truly loved. Due to his mental illness and drug addiction, the relationship was emotionally abusive and destructive for both of us. We divorced in 2 years.
As my life seemed to be falling apart again, I grasped for the only thing left that I could gain strength from, the Lord. As I crumbled, I reached for the memories of my grandmother and the faith she instilled in me as a young child. In my desperation, I completely gave my heart and soul over to it’s rightful place, God’s hands.
By 22, I was beginning to get used to being independent and began to travel while working all sorts of jobs (CNA, dental assistant, server, hostess, bartender, firefighter, home care, child care…). I found my self in places like Pennsylvania, Montana, Colorado and Texas. All the while, I was seeking my calling, searching for my purpose in this life while trying to serve others.
I have always had an inherent longing to help the needy, to serve others because of my experiences as a child when things were so very fragile and difficult for me. I now know that my purpose is to reach those who need to feel God’s love, to share my hope and faith with those who need it most.
God is good! He has brought me this far. Lord, I am your servant! Please guide me through this journey and speak through me to those whose hearts are longing for you.
Amen
