Rescuing Amanda

Amanda has seen the absolute worst that life can bring. At three years old, her own mother offered her up as a prostitute. The traumatized toddler fled for her life, all the way down the street to her grandmother’s house.

After escaping that life, she went on to live with her grandparents. They were loving, but they also had few boundaries. They hosted alcohol-fueled parties that exposed the little girl to shocking adult behavior. At the tender age of 12, she ran away with an 18 year-old man. By 15, she was pregnant and dropped out of school.

“That’s what triggered my homelessness,” said Amanda.

When she showed up at the Everett Gospel Mission, she was 50 pounds underweight. She was in a state of shock, not even knowing how she got there. The last thing she remembered was standing at the edge of a rushing river, about to step off. To this day, she will tell you that God brought her to the Mission!

“God led me here. He brought me to this place, and when he brought me here, he freed me,” she said.

Through healthy meals, Bible studies, job and life-skill classes, and a lot of Christian care and love, she transformed into this beautiful young woman you see today. She got her kids back. She even quit smoking!

Today, Amanda has a happy marriage and four beautiful children. She has been clean and sober for 10 years. They go to church as a family three times a week. Amanda wants to give her children the opportunity to know God’s love that she never had until homelessness brought her to the Mission.

Amanda is one of so many examples where the community came together and showed God’s love, which in turn gave her hope that led to her new life!

I couldn’t be prouder to share her story with you. Thank you for giving the lost and broken a place where God can show that He is faithful. And if He can restore Amanda, He can restore us all. What an inspiration as we head into the Easter season of hope and renewal!

Sylvia Anderson
CEO