Survivor Snapshots March 2016
Abby – For months we have watched Abby transform her life very intentionally. She has fought for her recovery from addiction, healthy love, and a future where she is in control and has choices. Abby starts work next week. It was a joy to watch Abby progress through the hiring process at this company with confidence and excitement. Abby now has a plan for leaving the Safe House in the next few months and her future is promising.
Lexi – Recently, Lexi found a full time job, so she can’t come into the Care Center as often and we certainly miss seeing her. But when she finds time for a quick visit, we love seeing the happiness on her face and the confidence she has gained over the past several months. Lexi is a talented person who has many gifts. She recently regained the confidence to share those gifts with more and more people. Watching her blossom has been encouraging to everyone on staff.
Becky – Becky also recently found employment. She is also participating in the Branded Collective job training program that takes place here in the Care Center. You can purchase pieces of jewelry made by Becky and the other Branded trainees here http://www.brandedcollective.com/ . Becky continues to make healthy choices for her life and be an encouragement to all of us who have the privilege of knowing her.
Monica – Monica is fairly new to us. She is 18 years old, a senior in high school, and looking forward to graduating in May. Monica recently discovered that she is pregnant. At first, this was a scary and overwhelming discovery. Understandably, she wrestled with her options. Through patient and loving counsel by everyone on our Survivor Care team, and after seeing her baby on the ultrasound image, she is excited and wants to make the best plans possible for her child's future.
Kristi – Kristi has tackled one obstacle after the other since coming into community with us late last year. She was serious about recovery and worked hard to overcome every challenge she faced. Kristi is now ready to reunite with her children. She's always enjoyed showing us photos of her family back home, but especially any photos of her kids or artwork they sent her. She will be leaving our safe house and moving back to her hometown in the next few weeks. She has already connected to support services in that town. She is also committed to staying in touch with her Care Coordinator here at End Slavery Tennessee. We will all be glad to hear updates on how she is doing as she rejoins her family.
End Slavery Tennessee has several new faces this month. We’d like to introduce you to three of them.
Grace – At 19 years old, Grace is a bubbly, talkative, sweetheart who has stolen all our hearts after only a week with us. She is living in the safe house and eagerly participating in all support services we offer. Despite the fact that she has been trafficked since the age of 13, she graduated from high school, has a driver’s license and a loving, supportive family. She was able to gain freedom and seek our help when her trafficker was arrested. Now she is working with her Care Coordinator to formulate a plan for her future. She is interested in attending college, leaning toward a degree in the medical field, perhaps nursing or some sort of physical therapy.
Elizabeth – Elizabeth was one of our first referrals from Cherished Hearts, the newly formed human trafficking court. She has a great attitude and is eagerly participating in every service we have to offer. She is living in one of our safe houses and spending quite a bit of time in the Care Center where we’ve all enjoyed getting to know her. She is constantly thanking us and telling her Care Coordinator how grateful she is for our help. It’s a delight to watch her flourishing in the loving environment we offer.
Sabrina – Just this week, 18 year old Sabrina was referred to us. She is overwhelmed and struggling with staying here. She misses her mom and her friends in her hometown. We aren’t sure if Sabrina will choose to stay here. But we do know that we have formed a relationship with her and she knows we are here to help her when she is ready. She now has options that she did not have before we met her. Though we will be sad if she chooses to leave, we also know from experience that we are likely to see her again. We have the satisfaction of knowing that she can call on us any time she needs help and we will be happy to have her back.