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When *Hannah was growing up in foster care, she felt unloved and alone. Then she started attending the Adorned In Grace Design Studio in Portland and met Tina, the woman who would become her mentor, and her life began to change. In a recent interview, Hannah shared her story with us:

“I’ve been a foster kid since I was nine, and I’ve always felt like I didn’t belong anywhere, I felt like nobody cared about me. I didn’t care for school, I didn’t care where I was going to be the next year, I was just living by the moment. I didn’t care about my actions. I felt like nobody else cared so why should I?”

Changing Perspective

“As soon as I went to the Design Studio I was welcomed with open arms. I felt like people actually cared about me. I started going in the seventh grade and at first it was like ‘oh yay, I get to go hang out with my friends.’

Two years later I decided that I wanted to run away. There were things going on in my foster home at the time and I felt really alone. The only person that I felt comfortable reaching out to was Tina, one of my mentors through Adorned In Grace.”

 

“Two years later I decided that I wanted to run away […] The only person that I felt comfortable reaching out to was Tina, one of my mentors through Adorned In Grace.”

 

“After that I went and lived with her. She became my foster mom, she jumped through everything and showed me that she cared even more. I went to live with her and I gained all these different people that I looked up to and that I knew cared for me, and I did a whole 360.”

Hannah’s life took a completely different turn because she saw for the first time that someone truly cared about her. However, it wasn’t only Hannah’s life that was changed because of her relationship with Tina.

With tears in her eyes, Tina told us recently about a text she received from Hannah on Mother’s Day. It read: “Thank you for giving me hope when I didn’t have any. Thank you for fighting for me when everyone else just gave up. Thank you for being my biggest support when nobody else was there. Thank you for giving me my voice back. Thank you for pushing me to be the greatest form of myself. YOU believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself.”

Learn more about what happens at the Design Studio by watching our brand new video, below!

Could This Story Be Yours?

We know there are Hannahs and Tinas across the country, and we feel blessed to be part of helping them find one another. Our great joy is equipping passionate people from many different churches and backgrounds (and many different cities and states!) with the tools they need to pour into the lives of vulnerable girls so that they never fall prey to sexual exploitation.

Have you ever wondered what you can do to address the issue of human trafficking in your community? We are excited to announce that after a year-long process, we are launching an Adorned In Grace Toolkit that offers practical step by step guidance for those who are passionate about rallying a group of churches in their city or neighborhood to address the issue of human trafficking together. We believe churches and individuals everywhere can use our practical tools to collaboratively raise awareness, work towards prevention, and offer restoration to at-risk youth and survivors of trafficking. We look forward to starting this journey with you!

To learn more about the Adorned In Grace Toolkit, please visit us here.

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