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10/12/2024

Day 16 of 16

Please also read day 14 and 15

Five months into my second pregnancy, I lost my baby.

My doctor came into my room, sat down and asked me whether I had ever been r***d as a child. I was scarcely able to respond. She then explained that I suffered internal organ damage as a result of the brutal manner in which I was r***d.

I was devastated by this news. This then compelled me to tell my husband the truth. I thought that he would despise me, but instead he showed me so much love and understanding.

He asked me to forgive my mother and my uncle so that I could heal. I did not understand this at the time; I was still very hurt and angry.

Over time and with the grace of God and the love of my husband and a very good friend, I started to heal emotionally. I realized that my experience could benefit others because I was able to listen and completely comprehend what they were going through.

As I started to forgive, I was even able to care for my mother for the final ten years of her life.

Over the following five years, I lost three more babies before I was able to hold our second, healthy little baby in my arms.

I still struggle with the permanent aftereffects of the brutal r**es I had endured as a child.

Although I accepted it as part of my story, I have major health problems that are directly related to the r**es.

Through the years, my story helped so many others… and I now understand the bible verse that says that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him.

He took my brokenness and gave me a crown of beauty for my ashes, so that through my painful story, others can be helped.

09/12/2024

Day 15 of 16

Please also read day 14 of 16

I had to endure a life of lies and fear for two years.

When I was 15, I befriended a young police officer. I finally felt that I had gained some power back and bravely threatened my uncle with my new friend.

It worked and after two years of him continually and violently ra**ng me on a regular basis, he packed his bags and ran away like the criminal he was.

Finally, I was safe, but left with emotional and physical damage...some would take years to recover from, others are still with me today.

I hated my mother for letting this go on for so long and I wanted to leave her house as soon as possible.

My new friend became my boyfriend and at 17, I became pregnant. Finally, I was able to move away from my mother.

I remained quiet and did not tell my boyfriend about the r**es.

I was in a poor physical condition and as a result, our baby was born early. I can remember standing beside his incubator, pleading with God to spare this tiny infant's life. God answered my prayers and our baby got stronger every day. Soon after his birth, we were married.

I was still a wreck of emotions and felt dead within; I continued to carry my secret and all the pain alone.

We fought a lot and we finally reached out to a church for help to save our marriage. We surrendered our lives to God and with the help of the pastor and his wife began rebuilding and repairing our marriage.

However, I kept my secret locked and barricaded behind a heart of steal. I pretended that I was fine and that our marriage was fine.

This would be a short-lived fantasy, as the effects of the continued violet r**es at the age of 13, would loom before me like an huge towering obstacle.

Please also read day 16 of 16

08/12/2024

Day 14 of 16

I struggled to understand the bible verse that says that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him. How could my bad experiences work out good? This did not make any sense to me. (But please read my story over the next few days)

Along with my two brothers, I grew up on a farm where my father worked. We were all excited when my father made the bold decision to buy his own farm.

Our dream quickly turned into a nightmare when my father unexpectedly passed away.

My mother had to start working and we lost everything. We had to move into a tiny flat in town. These were very difficult times for us; we were used to farm life and were unable to make ends meet financially.

My mother’s oldest brother moved in to help us out financially and my mother considered it as an answer to her prayers. For the first month, everything went well.

One afternoon when I was at home alone with him, he r***d me. I was 13 years old.

He threatened me that if I tell anyone he would move out and my brothers and I will be taken away from my mother because she is unable to support us.

I felt raw on the outside and on the inside as I was washing and scrubbing my skin until it hurt... to make sure that all the blood was gone. This s*xual torture went on for 9 months.

After another vicious r**e, I told my mother everything because I felt that I would rather suffer and go without food than endure the constant harassment of the assaults.

I was left in total shock, unbelieve and felt so disillusioned when my mother instructed me to keep quiet for my brother’s sake. She told me that I would be very selfish to ruin the good life that we now had.

I was left broken-hearted; her words hurt more than the r**e did.

Please also read day 15 of 16

07/12/2024

Day 13 of 16

This is the true story of many of our senior citizens.

Everyone has a unique story to share about very happy and very sad days. Over the years, each one of them went through different trials and tribulations to get to where they are right now.

Even though there will never be enough space for all these stories, today, we want to honour them for their processes and the example they are setting for younger generations.

To express our gratitude to just a few of our seniors, Mossel Bay SAPS and CPF joined hands with Kwanonqaba SAPS, various Neighbourhood Watches, EMS Chaplin Services and other volunteers and took our senior citizens on an amazing and very beautiful picnic walk through the mosaic tunnel at Pinnacle Point.

The message conveyed was that when you look at broken tiles, you could never imagine that something beautiful can come from a pile of broken tiles. Much like some life experiences.

As we walked through the mosaic tunnel, we could clearly see how something so broken could be used to create something so exquisite and beautiful.

06/12/2024

Day 12 of 16

(Please also read day 11 of 16)

After the years of dealing with the financial and emotional trauma caused by substance abuse, finally by the grace of God, I was able to buy a house that needed some restoration work, and for the first time we would have a place of our own.

As I was living and working abroad, I entrusted the restoration work to the community pastor, who was also a builder.

He stole more than R400 000.00 from me. I had to take his word for the work completed and paid in money when he asked. He restored nothing except his own pockets!

The same happened with a ‘goodhearted’ electrician from George, who did the same thing, defrauding me of R30 000.00 for electrical work he never performed.

With the electrician, it was more the fact that he made me feel inferior than it was about the money. He undermined and disregarded me as a human being. He made me feel like I was nothing.

This was just another more subtle way of the verbal abuse I had to endure for years.

Once more, just when I believed that we were financially stable and that we had a house of our own, I came to the realization that I would need to continue to live and abroad, struggling to clear our finances.

Time and time again, I was broken into pieces and time and time again The Potter restored me.

I pray for my son because I know he is a good person who struggled with bad choices. He is now free from his addiction. I never stopped loving him, even during the bad times. He is currently busy rebuilding his own life, and I give him the space and love to do so.

I had to forgive myself and I had to forgive him in order for me to heal.

We all have to make choices in this life; we can choose to remain a victim or to become a victor.

I constantly pray for my children, God gave me a crown of beauty for my ashes; He can do the same for my children and for uou.

05/12/2024

Day 11 of 16

Hurt people hurt people and we bleed all over others with our hurt. I was a hurt person when my son was born and did not know how to love and raise a child, so I raised him tough. He was just a child and he did not deserve this angry, frustrated and rock hard mother.

As a well-trained professional, it was a very traumatic experience having to sell everything I owned and escape with my daughter from my own son. His addiction to Tik put our lives in tremendous danger. He provided his drug dealers with our phone numbers and he claimed my property was stolen when he actually sold it.

My son's addiction put me in serious financial distress. I relied on friends to house us. I eventually found permanent employment in another town and had to leave my daughter behind until I could find a home for us. I slept on the floor for months.

I was still having many financial difficulties when my daughter joined me; the saddest part was the lack of food. People was more than happy to pray for me, but less inclined to help us out with food. For us, this was very difficult and humbling times.

Then my son showed up, he had nowhere else to go. The verbal abuse and fighting started all over again. Again, my son began selling what little I had accumulated. I experienced great sadness and frustration at the same time. Because of my son's abuse and addiction, my daughter experienced a great deal of trauma.

My son eventually found employment and we were able to breathe a little easier even though we were still financially in a terrible situation. A family member moved in with us. I decided to accept a job offer abroad to help us get out of the financial predicament we were in. My daughter stayed in the care of our family member.

Sadly, my son soon fell back into his old ways and lost his job. He returned home where my daughter had to endure much abuse and mistreatment. Again all finances quickly disappeared. He was hanging out at all the wrong places and with all the wrong people. At that time, the sacrifice I made to leave everything behind, felt pointless, I had to pay to keep him alive and out of trouble, yet again.

Finally, he found employment abroad, so I had to make the very difficult decision, to block communication with him for the sake of my daughter and myself. I could not stand the fighting and abuse any longer.

Finally, I could breathe and start restoring my brokenness. A year later, I unblocked him and we do not talk much now, I love him dearly and miss him very much.

Although I will always and forever love him, I am his mother, I no longer serve as a punching bag.

Please read day 12 of 16 for the conclusion.

04/12/2024

Day 10 of 16

I grew up in a loving home with loving parents, experiencing no abuse in any form. I was bullied a bit in school but felt very secure in my ability not to let that affect me at all; it was still not a pleasant experience.

I attended university after school and had no major problems that I could not resolve on my own.

I became a teacher, and could not wait to get started. It was a bit overwhelming with up to 55 students in a class, but I was still new and had high expectations of making a difference.

I was totally caught off guard by the sheer lack of discipline and respect.
A student attacked me in front of an entire class during my first month of teaching. I wanted to quit teaching right there.

Because of the students who truly went above and beyond to love, support, and respect me, I made the decision to stay.

However, over the next few years I saw colleagues start on one day and quit on the same day. I regularly had to put up with verbal abuse and improper s*xual suggestions from students.

I got to know and love many students, some of them were killed. One collapsed right in front of me after being stabbed and he later died. As a teacher, you do not have time to grieve or process the trauma and pain of these losses.

I was threatened with a pair of scissors in class, and when I tried to address the student, he took the scissors and began to circle me just staring at me and intimidating me.

I eventually began experiencing health issues that were related to the stress I endured. I made the decision to resign after being assaulted again by students.

I still love teaching and believe that the experiences I have had, have made me a stronger person.

Teachers play a vital part in a child’s life; they should learn at home to respect and not harm them.

Parents be kind to your child’s teacher, you rarely see how they behave in front of their peers.

03/12/2024

Day 9 of 16

“Dancing Between Steps: A Journey of Self-Discovery”
My story unfolds at the age of 35, in the middle, like a dance perpetually shifting between two steps forward and a couple of steps back. Such is life for most of us.

At the age of 35, my past and the demons I had evaded finally caught up with me. Unable to sleep, nightmares and serious health issues forced me to confront those inner shadows—the ones I had been running from for too long.

The diagnosis of an autoimmune disease became my reckoning. A doctor’s words echoed in my mind: “your self-loathing has persisted for so long that your body now turns against itself.” These words marked my rock bottom, but also served as my call to action.

Remember, even in the midst of struggle, there lies the potential for transformation. I confronted the haunting shadows of childhood s*xual trauma—the memories and nightmares that a five-year-old girl struggled to survive, convincing herself they never happened.

Guided by loved ones, an incredible therapist, and the gentle touch of God's divine healing, I began to unravel the traumas grip. From Shadows to Canvas: A Healing Journey

Please continue to read in the comments

02/12/2024

Day 8 of 16

I was born into an environment clouded by strife and addiction. From a young age, I witnessed the hold alcohol had on daily life, believing it was a normal part of existence.

At just 9 years old, my innocence was stolen when I was s*xually molested. I did not understand what was happening but felt overwhelming shame and confusion.

I buried the secret deep within, not realizing the weight it would carry into my future.

As the years unfolded, I found myself caught in a painful cycle of abuse, trauma, and reliance on alcohol.

By 17, I experienced a devastating r**e that left me broken and terrified. The shame and silence returned, convincing me I had to face it all alone.

Over the years, my perception of love and relationships became warped, and I believed s*x was the only way to find connection or value.

At 19, a ray of hope came into my life—a wonderful man who truly loved me. However, tragically, our time together was cut short when he passed away just two years later.

Unable to cope, I lived in denial of his death, pretending he had simply gone away. Relationships that followed were shallow and empty, rooted in misunderstanding and pain.

I did not know what a healthy, love-filled relationship looked like, and I struggled to break free from the patterns I thought were inevitable.

Then, something remarkable happened.

(Please continue to read in the comments)

01/12/2024

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - All the police...

01/12/2024

Day 7 of 16

(Please also read day 5 and 6 of 16)

My husband was incredibly kind and understanding from the day we first met. Because of my history of abuse and r**e, I found it hard to trust that I would not be hurt again. He was incredibly considerate and I felt very safe with him. We are still happily married.

One day, I had to travel to Cape Town with a taxi, and I was r***d again, this time by the taxi driver. Weeks later the agonizing manner of my r**e still made it difficult for me to move.

Five months later in the safety of my own home, I was gun pointed by two men who were specifically sent to hurt me, to hurt my husband. I was severally assaulted physically and s*xually with any object they could find.

My experience is one of survival, I know without a doubt that God is using me to show so countless others that they are strong enough in Him to overcome similar trauma.

My testimony has helped so many others. He called me to demonstrate that His power working in me is more than enough to get me through anything.

He blessed me with a wonderful husband and beautiful children and He gives me beauty for ashes every single day.

30/11/2024

Day 6 of 16

(Please also read day 5 of 16)

When my son was 5 years old, I met a wonderful man who really treated me with love and affection and I experienced what a normal loving relationship should be like, or so I thought.

Only two weeks before our wedding day, I was painfully r***d again, this time by my husband to be. I was devastated and pregnant again.

On the outside, people never knew how broken and full of hate I was on the inside. I detested men, all men, even close family members.

During this time my mother passed away, I lost my job and I was very ill.

Even my attempts at prayer ended in tears, I was asking God for answers when I was not ready to hear them. Repeated abuse had an effect on me that I would not accurately explain to others.

For the first few years of his life, my second child cried non-stop. Again I asked God, why me? How much more can I endure?

Still this was not the end of my process

(Please read day 7 of 16 for the conclusion of the story)