From Brokenness to Belonging

By the age of 16, Charitie was using a walker and eventually a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She learned to pop her own joints back into place just to get through the day. In an effort to numb the physical and emotional pain, she turned to Benadryl, alcohol, pills, and battled a severe eating disorder. 

At one point, after a pastor prayed for her, Charitie experienced a miraculous healing and was able to walk again. But the pain in her life continued. She was later taken advantage of while living in a sober living home, an experience that shattered what little trust she had left. Hurt and angry, she walked away from God completely, saying she told Him, “Boy, bye,” and became, in her words, “a pagan witch” out of pure rage and heartbreak. Later, she married a man who mistreated her and deepened the cycle of abuse and despair. 

Everything changed the day she discovered he was cheating on her. She packed her belongings, called her mom, and heard her mention Gospel Rescue Mission. Charitie simply said, “Take me to Gospel.” 

When she arrived at GRM, she was so broken she could barely speak. But something felt different the moment she walked through the doors. 

“For the first time in my life,” she shared, “somebody actually cared enough to treat me with all the love and kindness that I never had in life.” 

She says she knew immediately: “I was finally safe.” 

In the recovery program, her coach patiently spent months teaching her about the love of God. One day, her coach looked at her and asked, “Aren’t you sick of being miserable?” She reminded Charitie that “God doesn’t want you to be miserable. He’s a God of love and comfort and peace.” 

In January, something finally broke through. Charitie surrendered her life to Christ and accepted Him as her Savior. 

Since then, she says the nightmares and flashbacks that once haunted her have begun to fade. “I need people and I need God in order to be recovered,” she shared. “I can’t do it alone.” 

Today, Charitie is nearing completion of the recovery program and preparing to move into Workforce Development. She hopes to one day come back and work at GRM as a peer support specialist — helping others who feel as hopeless and broken as she once did. 

The girl who once believed she was “dirty and worthless” now boldly says, “I have value because of God.” She is also preparing to be baptized again — this time, she says, “because I want it,” not because someone else expected it of her. 

And through it all, Charitie now encourages others with the same courage she had to find herself: 

“When you’re scared, do it anyway. If you don’t want to talk, talk anyway.” 

And perhaps most powerfully: 

“Your future ain’t gonna come until you do.”