Elia's Story

There’s no way to make sense of abuse when you are seven years old…

With a single mom who worked and traveled all the time, Elia and her siblings often stayed with an aunt and uncle steeped in gang life. For four of those years, Elia was sexually molested. And nobody believed her.

At just fourteen years old, Elia ran away from home, searching for love and comfort in all the wrong places.

She endured living with an abusive boyfriend. She tried to find purpose in strip clubs. Then she drowned out her pain through drugs and alcohol.

“My life turned into a vicious cycle to numb the pain I felt as a kid,” Elia shares.

Deep inside, Elia knew there was a God. She just didn’t know how to connect with Him. So she humbly took a first step, got down on her knees and begged Him for help.

It turns out God answered Elia’s prayer by shutting down Hoving Home’s air conditioner! Elia’s brother is the repairman who came to fix it. Then he told Elia about our program for women in need.

“I was very lost, and when I got here I felt loved,” Elia expresses.

“Hoving Home provided me with things I’ve never known,” she continues. “They’ve shown me how to live a sober life and that it wasn’t my fault what I went through.”

Here, Elia has gained the personal skills, emotional tools and spiritual foundation to build a healthy future! And she is eager to use what she’s learned for the Lord!

Elia’s redemption story is a beautiful reminder that our past doesn’t define us. God can take the broken pieces of our heart and make us a new creation in Christ!

With God’s help, Elia has overcome the shame of her past and fully trusts in God’s unfailing love.

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