The sound of gunfire
My name is Eden. I was 14 years old when the rebels came into our village – they took everything from us. There are nine children in our family, and we could not afford to go to school. During that time, my mom became very sick and spent many days in the hospital. My dad had to sell everything we had left to pay for treatment for our mom.
Each day we ran to hide in the forest. We hid there to escape the rebels who would force girls into marriage… or something worse. Every night we returned home and fell asleep to the sounds of gunfire. My siblings and I were so scared and hopeless. I was terrified about what my life would look like in the future.
No longer hopeless
By God’s grace, a relative came to our village and saw how terrible our situation had become. He brought us to a safe village. But even though they took us away from the violence, they couldn’t take away my trauma.
Then I came to Exile International — where I finally began to heal from the nightmares and flashbacks. I love being at Exile — and no longer feel hopeless. I am filled with peace and joy! I love going to school with other children and participating in healing and arts programs. We get to read the Bible every day and have learned how much God loves me. I am a loved daughter of God!
I thank God for you and Exile International! May God continue to help me grow strong, so I can help others just like me!
