My testimony.

I was molested. My father, his brothers, and a few cousins were my childhood enemies. My father also beat my brother and I. I had never been to church, and had never been told about God, but I knew He was there. He comforted me, and I talked to this Stranger for years. I asked Him why, and what would happen to me. I asked Him to protect me. I asked him to let me die.

I learned how to stay quiet, and obedient to protect myself. I all but disappeared. I knew that my dad was evil. I knew there were evil things that dwelled in him. I knew that God was also there in my house. I felt His presence, but I didn’t understand what He wanted, who He was or why He allowed the abuse to continue.

As I grew older, my grades were bad, and I started getting in fights at school. I skipped classes in the 6^th grade all the way up to high school. I had a lot of friends just like me, troublemakers, and fighters. In the 8^th grade I was expelled from school permanently. I was home alone, and started smoking my dad’s cigarettes. I was sent to a counselor, due to the expulsion, and the truth came out. My dad was questioned, and I had to go to a rape crisis center, where I was videotaped and interviewed. I was only thirteen and very afraid. My parents told me that I would have to live in a foster home if my dad was arrested, so they took me to the sheriff’s office, and I lied. I told them my dad didn’t do anything.

That was the hardest year of my life. I became an outcast. By everyone in my home, and all of my family members. They were all suddenly very scared of me and what I could do to them, and our family secret. I was avoided at all costs. So with that, I started high school. I was expelled from there for fighting within the first three months. My parents tried to put me in a military school, they wouldn’t take me. The only one left was Faith Christian Academy.

Academically, I was failing every single class. I hadn’t paid attention in school for years. I was only surviving, how could I think about school?

But I was introduced to My Stranger, Jesus. I asked so many questions, and I know I must of drove those guys’ nuts. They never hesitated to answer, they preached, and hugged, and I met a man that I wasn’t afraid of. His name was Rev. Roy Hannigan, and he married my husband and I, 11 years ago. He never gave up on me. He was a strict and stern minister, and teacher. I felt his love, and discipline at the same time. One day he came to school in tears. He called me back into the office and shut the door. I totally thought I was in trouble. He said, “Kristina, God has revealed your home to me. I know what is going on.” My eyes must have popped out of my head, but he didn’t stop. He told me about Mighty angels. He told me that he prayed that I would have them. He said they were next to me, protecting me from my earthly father. He said that God was my real Dad, and he told me about being saved, and what that meant. He said that I have to take control of my own destiny, cause I was on my own, but that God would never leave me or forsake me. I asked the Lord to come into my heart that day, and I was baptized shortly after. I wish that I could tell you the abuse stopped after that, but it didn’t. However, I changed. I had Jesus with me, and now I had the strength to endure it. My dad constantly told me I was being brainwashed. He needed to get me out of that school as soon as possible. It was too late. I was a believer, and Jesus lived in my heart. He did take me out of Faith Christian Academy and I had to get a GED. But he never could get rid of God. My brother ran away, and met a catholic family and he found Jesus. I ran away as well when I was 16. I lived with friends in a town over, until I turned 18 and went back home. I registered for college, and met my husband that day. We married 1 year later.

It took a few years of therapy, and tons of support from my husband, most importantly the forgiveness of Christ, I have forgiven my dad. I have a relationship with him today.  I believe that because of my experiences I am a better mother. I am a better wife. I think that God has blessed me so abundantly and I am very grateful for his love, and protection. I am grateful for my teacher, turned earthly father, REV. Hannigan, and I know that he has one of the biggest baddest mansions in heaven. He showed me the importance of spreading the good news about God. I honestly believe that without God, and His message to my teacher, at that time in my life, I would have died. I am looking forward to spending the rest of my life loving and praising God for my many blessings.