HI SHAY,

THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ MY LETTER. I HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO MANY THINGS IN MY LIFE. I AM FROM CENTRAL AMERICA AND NOW LIVE IN THE USA.

WHEN I WAS A BABY, I WAS BURNED IN A FIRE AT 3 MONTHS OLD .IT WAS A

THIRD DEGREE BURN AND I SPENT ONE YEAR IN THE HOSPITAL.

AT THE AGE OF TWO, I WAS ABANDONED BY MY MOTHER. SHE LEFT ME WITH A 68 YEAR OLD JAMAICAN LADY.  THIS LADY RAISED ME, BUT SHE BECAME BLIND WHEN I WAS AROUND 11 YEARS OLD.  I HAD TO GO TO WORK AND GO TO SCHOOL AT THE SAME TIME. I HAD A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY BECAUSE I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF MY BLIND MOTHER. I ALSO WAS MOLESTED AS A CHILD BY VARIOUS MEN.

WHEN I WAS 17 I HAD A CHILD BY A MAN WHO DRANK ALOT.  IT WAS VERY HARD FOR ME TO RAISE THIS CHILD BY MYSELF AND ALSO TAKE CARE OF MY BLIND MOTHER. I STARTED TO COOK FOR A LIVING.  I WOULD COOK FOOD IN MY HOME FOR TOURISTS THAT CAME TO TOWN.  I WAS DOING VERY WELL.  TWO YEARS LATER I WAS ASSAULTED BY TWO  MAN.  I WAS BEATEN, SHOT, AND STABBED.  I WAS LUCKY I WAS NOT KILLED!  I BELIEVE A SPECIAL ANGEL WAS WATCHING OVER ME.

ONE YEAR LATER I MET AN AMERICAN MAN AND MARRIED HIM.  SOON AFTER, I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES. I WENT TO SCHOOL HERE. I WAS HAVING A HARD

TIME IN SCHOOL AND LATER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A LEARNING DISABILITY. I WAS ABLE TO GET A LOT OF HELP THROUGH A PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. I WAS ABLE TO GRADUATE WITH A CERTIFICATE IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT.  HOWEVER, MY FAMILY BROKE UP BECAUSE MY DAUGHTER TOLD ME HER STEPFATHER WAS MOLESTING HER. I REPORTED IT AND HE WENT TO JAIL. I HAVE NOTICED THAT I DO NOT HAVE GOOD LUCK WITH MEN.

ONE DAY I WAS RIDING MY BIKE TO WORK AND TWO CARS HIT ME AND BROKE

MY HAND . I WAS OUT OF WORK FOR A WHILE.

I STARTED TO WORK FOR CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE

ABUSED. I LIKED MY JOB VERY MUCH BECAUSE I WAS HELPING CHILDREN  THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH WHAT I DID. IT WAS A HEALING FOR ME. I WAS ON THE JOB FOR SEVEN YEARS, BUT THEN I SPRAINED MY BACK TWICE.  I WAS NOT ABLE TO WORK WITH THE CHILDREN IN THE SHELTER ANYMORE.

ONE YEAR LATER, IN 1999, I LANDED A NEW JOB WITH CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES

WORKING WITH CHILDREN AND ADULTS.  I LOVE THE JOB VERY MUCH BUT BECAUSE OF MY LIMITATION I WAS NOT ABLE TO PERFORM ALL THE DUTIES THE JOB REQUIRED.  I COULD NO LONGER WORK, SO I FELL INTO A BAD DEPRESSION AND HAD A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. I FELT THAT PART OF MY HEART HAD BEEN TAKEN AWAY BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER POSSIBLE TO DO THE JOB I LOVED.

I HAVE NOT BEEN WORKING SINCE MARCH OF THIS YEAR. I LOOK BACK AT MY LIFE AND I ASK GOD, "WHY DO I HAVE TO GO THROUGH SO MANY BAD THINGS?"  I LOOK AT MY LIFE AS A LONG ROAD, BUT ON THAT ROAD THERE WERE SO MANY BLOCKS THAT CAME UP. CAN YOU  PRAY FOR ME SO I CAN GET WELL AND BE ABLE TO GO BACK AND DO THE WORK THAT I LOVE?