STORIES

At Women With Purpose we have seen the pain and suffering that results from emotional and physical abuse.

We have also seen the redemption and growth that take place when the abuse is replaced with nurture and love.

Testimonies are powerful.

These stories remind us that there is hope in the midst of brokenness, and that there is a plan for each of us.

Story 1

Miriam came to us due to a difficult situation with the father of her children with whom she had been in an abusive relationship since she was 14. After years of telling her partner she would leave him for beating and manipulating her, she called the authorities who gave her the option of three shelters. She says that God brought her here because she mindlessly chose one and was brought to Women With Purpose. She had been living on the streets with her son before and did not have what she needed to clothe or feed him. They arrived only with the clothes on their backs, and 3 small blankets friends on the street had gifted them. They were so grateful to be able to have beds and eat 3 meals a day when they arrived, since before they would only have tortillas or bread once a day. She feels comfortable living here with the other women, being able to listen to and feel supported by others that understand her. She feels burdened by the responsibility of supporting her mother who needs a surgery for kidney stones, but is unable to come and live with her. Miriam’s brothers can no longer help her support their mom since one has passed away and the other has been incarcerated for killing her children’s father since her partner was involved in a gang and had tried involving him. Her 13 year old daughter lives with her grandma supporting her however she can. Miriam hopes to soon be reunited with them to be able to care for them both.

Miriam is grateful to God for delivering her from drug use and an abusive relationship to bring her to a safe place to be restored and ministered to, so that she can be a light for her family. She now works for our children’s home down the street cooking for our teenagers and helping her son with his school between meals. One day she would like to meet the people who support the shelter to be able to thank them for their humility and generosity.

Story 2

Jazmin arrived to us after living on the street and not being able to support her children. She has three boys, ages 21, 14, and 7, whose father passed away three years ago. She was disowned from her family when she converted to Christianity and moved from Guadalajara to Tijuana with the help of her pastor when the pandemic started, but she had no work. She battled a lot working as a single mom without the support of family to watch her boys, but maintained her involvement in church. She lived in different places, but wherever she went the rent would always go up and she would have to move again.She prayed for months for God to provide her a home and one night she had a dream of the stairs in her now home and called her friend who she knew was living in a women’s shelter. Some time passed and their church ended up having a women’s retreat at the shelter and she was reminded of the vision God gave her of living in the home with those stairs. Within the week she was living with us and has been with us since January 2021.

Her oldest son now lives independently, her 14 year old is in a center for male youth recovering from drug use, and her youngest lives with her in the shelter. Jazmin battles with the weight of supporting her mother and sister who need financial help. She has a full time job and works with the women that live with her to watch her son, and continues being an active part in her church. She says she tries to look at life with a more positive perspective, seeing that God allows us to experiences things for a reason. He has a bigger and better plan. She is very grateful for the shelter and the blessing it has been to her. Her hope is that one day she can use her college degree and have a humble home of her own, a place where she could have her middle son back with her.

Story 3

If you have met Marta, you have encountered the Holy Spirit. She greets every stranger with a kiss and hug and prays for as long as you can stay. Marta is a woman of God and a devoted prayer warrior. However, her faith is a result of a long life of suffering and trials. She lived for many years with her family under the provision of her brother in the capital of Mexico, Mexico City for nearly forty years. Her brother beat the majority of their family, including their parents and grandmother, but Martita took most of the hits. One of the worst episodes included him hitting one of their siblings so hard in the head that he died. Others included him hitting Marta, damaging her internal organs and breaking multiple leg bones. She still suffers from wounds he inflicted on her leg and where they neglected treatment. Beyond the physical damage she experienced in her home, much of her family practiced witchcraft and trapped her in their home. She was not allowed to attend any other religious services and felt oppressed by evil spirits that her family had invited. Eventually she was able to escape to some Christian church services, met God, and gives all credit to Him for delivering her from this situation. Her abusive brother was in prison for many years, but has since been released. God has graciously protected her from him in our home. She still requires a lot of attention seeing as she can only walk with a walker and needs help cleaning the wound on her foot. Women from the shelter support her by bringing her meals and cleaning her space. We struggle to maintain regular support for her medical expenses, but appreciate the generosity we have experienced so far to keep her safe in our home.