Was Lost... now I'm found

I met this precious girl on both Facebook and Twitter. She is almost 18. So young... yet been thru so much that so many way older won't ever see. Both good and bad. She is one that found Jesus, on her knees for Him- as for others were absolutely tormenting her. And instead of holding it all in- or making some fantasy out of it- she healed in time. In His time. Thru her walk with Him. Reaching out to other kids in other countries suffering as bad, or in her eyes, worse. She found her calling. She may be young- but she is quite mature with the amazing knowledge of how marvelous our Lord works- even in hard times-as we reach to Him. How He lays out His plans He has had for us, before we were born- as we open up to others-- how He more than saved us-- He loved us so much-- He placed us directly on that path He had planned. He woke us up!! And Dear Samantha Morin is very much ALIVE-- as Christ is IN HER!! You can find her on twitter-- she just hopped on recently... @prettyelephants. Now remember, she may have amazing plans thru all the circumstances she went thru-you are about to read about-- but she still is in high school. But travels all over the countries--Russia three times, London, Nicaragua and returning there this summer, along with Mexico. What she went thru doesn't hold her back now-- now that she is on FIRE for our LORD AND SAVIOR-- never let these things hold you back!!! He loves you so much-- with amazing gifts and plans!!

From the 2nd grade to the 8th I was sexually abused and raped by a family member. Just about every single night I knew that family member-no restrictions- was going to come in my room and lock the door behind them. It was so awful. I was too little for it, so he messed up my guts. I was a VERY angry child because of it. I hated my family for not doing anything about it. They all knew it was going on. But they didn’t want to have to break up the family, besides, he had a "really hard life." They didn’t want to judge him even if he was hurting me. Do you know what that does to a little 2nd grader? I felt that I was dirty and not worth anything. For YEARS I believed that. I wasn’t a Christian. So when I went to Middle School and my first year of high school I figured I was already messed up.. why not do what I want. So I hooked up with the wrong group of people and let guys do what they wanted. I just openly kept getting hurt. I figured guys just liked to torture me. But then..I don’t know what happened.. One day I decided I was sick of living like that. Sick of being hurt and being so dirty... So, I left public school. God saved me and I went to HCA that next year. 

That year Josh McDowell came to our school. He made sure that we understood that sexual abuse victims don’t need to be silent. If you told and no one believed you.. tell someone else, so I did. It was the hardest thing I had ever done in my life. I told my Bible teacher Lane Ann and it took me at least 45 minutes to spit out the words “I was hurt.” In that year I had learned so many things. One thing I learned was that if I held on to it and never forgave, it wouldn’t hurt the other person, just me. I told her at the end of that year that God completely healed me and that some day I wanted to help little girls who were going through the same thing! Now I was only 16. So I was thinking in my head.. I’m too young. Maybe when I’m 50, God can use me to help someone like that... Uh no. God’s funny about stuff like that!

That summer I went to Russia for the 3rd time and stayed a month. One of the girls I stayed with was being weird. She was so much different then what I remembered. One day it was just me and her in the house. Everyone else left to take my daddy to the air port, so we had the whole day, just the two of us. I started asking her what was wrong... I found myself all the sudden telling my story to her... It was definitely a God thing! She told me she had been raped 3 months before I had gotten there. I didn’t know what to say. I was like.. Really God? Did this really just happen?? I talked her into telling her mommy and she was able to get help. That was cool... But God wasn’t done! The more I told my story the more I figured out that there were a LOT of hurting girls! I learned real fast that I wasn’t the only one. But it was lots! Like 1 in every 3. So God used my story to help girls in my youth group, And then a girl in the band, my Spanish teacher, girls at camp, D-now leaders, Ladies in my church.. they were EVERYWHERE! I figured I could help a lot more if I went to public school. So I left my wonderful Christian school to go back to public. I have been able to share my story and Jesus with a whole lot of people. It is soo amazing! This is my favorite verse! 

2 Cor 1:3-4- Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

It is still super hard on me sometimes. I get to thinking about it and one of the hardest things for me is not being a virgin and not being able to give that to my future husband. I tell everyone I want to be a nun.. they think I’m joking.. And, I guess I am-seems how I am a southern baptist. :) But really I can just see me getting married one day and sleeping on the couch for the rest of my life! 

What a testimony-- what a blessing-- what a tool Samantha is thru Christ-- His will for her!! AMEN!! Awesome outlook!!! Blessings to this amazing sweet girl-- as she helps bring more to Him-- out of darkness!!!

Blessings to you all!!! Come share your testimony too!!!

In His Grip,

Heather Siebens -posting amazing testimony for Samantha Morin!