Growing Up With God: A story of hope through abandonment, abuse, and kidnapping. (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781523283613)

I was born in Colombia. In my early childhood, my parents gave me away to a neighbor, who took me to live with her and her daughter in Bogotá City. These two ladies fought all the time and mistreated me, and I ran way at the age of five. I wanted to return to my parents and knew that I had to take a train. Two older women on the train offered to pay my train fare if I would come live with them. They promised to love me and feed me lots of milk and cheese, but their promises turned out to be untrue. The ladies lived on a farm, and I worked day and night. I was often scared and alone because they forbade me to speak with other people. They treated me like a farm animal. They never sent me to school. I could not read or write, but I had a dream. I wanted to have the power and the polish that only education gives a person. When I was about 14 years old, I was sent to live with a brother of one of the ladies. He sent me to live with another family, where I was often raped by the father. I ran away again and was abused again and again, and finally, thanks to God, ended up with the Franciscan Sisters, who ran a large hospital in Bogotá. The sisters educated me and taught me to be a nurse. Education changed my life forever! In 1961, I came to the United States. I had a job waiting for me in a New York hospital and later became a U.S. citizen. I enjoyed nursing, raised a fine son as a single mother, and continued my education at various schools. In 1997, I retired from nursing and moved to Colorado. I quickly fell in love with the weather, the mountains, and the friendly people. I have realized my dream. I am educated, I have a fine son, I travel and meet new people, and I continue to learn all the time. Only through the goodness of God have I been able to reach this point in my life. I am telling my story to help young people realize that no matter what your situation is, there is always hope with God.