HEALING THROUGH VOLUNTEERING

My name is Audrey and I am a member of Free Chapel, Orange County. I have been involved with Teen Leadership Foundation since the summer of 2014 and have served as a mentor and budget coach for the residents of The Launch Pad. In August, I stepped into a bigger role, aiding with events for The Knot and The Network. 

I first heard about Teen Leadership Foundation when one of the campus pastors had stated that if only 3,000 households in Orange County were to take in one child in foster care, none would be without a home or a family to love them. That really struck a chord with me, especially because I know what it’s like to feel alone and abandoned.

By the time I was born, my parents were legally separated. I never knew how it felt or what it was like to have both parents under one roof. The earliest memory of my father wasn’t until the age of 5; For those first five years all I knew was my mom, brother, and maternal grandfather…It never occurred to me that [my father] was missing from my life. Up until his first arrival, I thought my life was pretty normal, and when he eventually showed up, the world I knew and loved started crumbling down.

As I became more involved with TLF, those reasons started to reveal themselves—I had to suffer so I could be of comfort to those that suffer. My life experiences have taught me compassion and humility. I can identify with foster youth— making them aware that they are not alone in their feelings.

Feelings of abandonment, neglect, and being unwanted overcame me. He tried to win me over, but because his presence was inconsistent I did not allow him into my heart. He was verbally abusive, a bully, and an alcoholic.

As a young child, I was sexually abused by my babysitter’s husband. I had blamed my parents, because had they never divorced it could have been avoided. As I grew older, the hostile relationship between my parents was too much to bear and I became suicidal in my teenage years. I suffered terribly throughout my adolescence (and early adulthood), and never understood why God allowed all these things to happen in my life. I thought God did not love or care about me. I felt alone in the world.

As I became more involved with TLF, those reasons started to reveal themselves—I had to suffer so I could be of comfort to those that suffer. My life experiences have taught me compassion and humility. I can identify with foster youth— making them aware that they are not alone in their feelings.

At a very early age I knew I wanted to care for children (other than my own), so that none would ever have to experience what I experienced, and by year’s end, I will be a certified foster parent.

Partnering with TLF has been life changing for me;  I’ve also been able to make sense of the pain and find my life’s purpose: “To comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

I am so blessed to be a part of Teen Leadership Foundation. Joining forces with TLF has been one of the best decisions of my life, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us individually and collectively. Thank you, TLF, for allowing me to be a part of your journey!

Photo by Chelsea Francis