It was the spring of 1994 when I arrived at the Mercy Ministries home in Monroe, LA. I was sixteen years old, pregnant, angry, scared, and out of control. I was totally unsure of what to expect, but I knew that coming to Mercy was my opportunity at another chance in life. I had been involved with the typical things that many teens become involved in when trying to “find themselves.” The guy that I had been dating was twenty-one and was a great connection to get me anything that I wanted--drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, anything.
We had only been dating for about two months when I found out I was pregnant. All I had ever dreamed of being was a mother, but not this way, and not under these circumstances. I knew I had to change, if not for me, for my baby. I thought the first step was to become “responsible”, and the only way that I knew how to do that was to find a job. I went for a job interview, but God had other plans. The owner of the company I was applying at had heard of Mercy Ministries.