Your support brings hope to the hurting this Easter.
“I’m learning to see myself the way God sees me.”
What does Amanda remember most about her parents? Sadly, that they were never around… As her mom and dad struggled with addiction, their abandonment left a painful hole in her heart.
Then, when she was only 7 years old, Amanda was sexually abused.
Desperate to relieve the burden of all this trauma, as a teen she turned to drugs and alcohol. “I started looking for love and affection in places I didn’t belong,” she says.
Instead of love, she only found more heartbreak… getting trapped in an abusive relationship for 10 years… losing her children… and facing jail time.
“My whole life had fallen apart,” Amanda says, “But in jail, I met God.”
After accepting Christ, she longed for her life to be different. But when Amanda left jail, she had nowhere to go. Soon after, she discovered she was pregnant.
“I was pregnant… homeless… and I needed help.”
Coming to Buffalo City Mission, everything changed for Amanda.
“It’s amazing all that’s been offered to me here,” she says, grateful for the Bible studies, prayer and guidance that have helped her deepen her relationship with the Lord. “Now, even when things are hard, I have peace… and that can only be God,” she says.
Amanda had her daughter while staying at the Mission, and thanks to the generosity of friends like you, she had access to baby care items, parenting classes and other support to help mom and baby thrive. Today, Amanda has even reconnected with her other children!
And through classes like financial literacy, Amanda is building confidence for her future. Recently, she completed certification to become a peer advocate. “Part of what God is calling me to do is to use my testimony to help others,” she says.
Thanks to the blessing of your support, Amanda is celebrating Easter as a new creation in Christ. “It’s been a really big blessing in my life and in my daughter’s life to be able to stay at the Mission… I’m just so grateful.”
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