Julia
When I first meet Julia*, she’s on a sofa in the living room of the women’s shelter where she lives. In her arms is her infant son. She sits quietly and solemnly, saying nothing except for her name. Her age isn’t mentioned, but I’m guessing she has to be a teenager at the very least.
Ana*, Julia’s mother, sits next to her. Looking at my teammates and the other women in the room, she begins to tell us their story.
Up until recently, Ana lived with her husband and family. Besides Julia, they have three other children. Then, she discovered a horrifying secret that had been hidden from her for years: her husband had been raping Julia. Ana immediately took Julia and fled from the husband, but not before Julia became pregnant as a result of the rape.
She’s fourteen. Fourteen. Her son was born three weeks ago.
Across the room, I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut, torn between shock and disgust. I have a cousin who’s fourteen – her everyday life includes school, playing the flute, and going camping with her family. This is a foreign world to someone like Julia, who’s had years of abuse and now motherhood thrust upon her at such a young age.
But Ana isn’t done telling their story yet. Despite her life being turned upside down quickly and unexpectedly, she does not consider herself defeated. She lost her house, her income, and the familiarity of the life she led previously, but she recognizes that God is protecting herself and Julia. She is grateful for having somewhere to live, and that even though she has barely any material possessions, she has her daughter and her grandson. They have each other. They have God. As far as Ana is concerned, that’s all they really need.
Marta
Marta* is next to me on another chair, her eyes focused on the floor in front of her. She tells us that she doesn’t often share what has happened to her, but she wants to do so in hope that it will help her heal.
At age five, Marta was molested by a neighbor. At age six, she was raped by a member of the church her parents pastored. At age nine, she was raped by her older brother.
As if this stolen innocence wasn’t bad enough, her father left the family when she was eleven, and her mother repeatedly told Marta that she would never be be good for anything other than to become a prostitute.
Marta left home when she was still a teenager to work in Guatemala City with another one of her brothers. There, once again, she was raped by a coworker. Not too long afterwards, she was abducted by a group of men who kept her captive as a sex slave for three weeks. She didn’t tell us how she got out, but she managed to do so and returned home, pregnant by rape.
Desperate, scarred, and afraid, she tried multiple times to abort the baby, but each attempt failed. Her son, now three years old, is being cared for by Marta’s mother. Marta later fell in love with a man and began a relationship with him. She once again found herself to be pregnant, and her boyfriend left the picture.
At this point, completely alone, Marta felt she had no reason to continue living. She began to engage in self-harm and then, reaching her breaking point, attempted suicide. It didn’t work – to her surprise and despite the number of pills she took, Marta survived. Although she did not tell us explicitly, my understanding of the situation is that she miscarried as a result of the suicide attempt.
Eventually, finally, she found the shelter somehow. Here she has the support, love, and community that she had been deprived of for her entire life. She is beginning to heal from the trauma, reclaim her life, and accepting that the abuse is not her fault.
At this shelter, the women learn to make and sell jewelry, clothing, and woven handicrafts. Once they are back on their feet, they have a skill they can use to support themselves. Over 120 women have successfully come through this ministry since it was founded eight years ago.
They are safe here, but there is much healing and restoration that needs to happen. Pray for Julia and Marta, who still have a long way to go. Pray for their young sons – innocent boys brought into this world through horrific acts. Pray for Guatemala City, where sexual assault and teen pregnancy are far too common, and the family structure is in shambles.
But even amidst all of this darkness, there is the hope for redemption – that day I saw it with my own eyes.
*All names have been changed for privacy and safety
