Sarah* was born in Victoria to parents addicted to heroin. Her father disappeared before she was born and to this day, she has never met him. Her mother, who suffered from schizophrenia, attempted to quit heroin ‘cold turkey’ during pregnancy. At birth, she spent her first week convulsing and was left with permanent hearing loss. Her early years were marked by isolation, abuse, and instability.
By the age of 15, she was homeless on the streets of Melbourne, moving from one refuge to another. At 16, she entered a relationship with a man 12 years older than her. By 21, she was a mother of two and completely worn down; physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Feeling hopeless and desperate, she made a heartbreaking plan: take her children to Tasmania and leave them in the care of the man’s ex-wife, a kind and faithful Christian woman she trusted. Then, on the return journey, she intended to end her life by jumping from the ferry.
“Aboard the Spirit of Tasmania, she locked herself in her cabin, overcome with fear and despair. In her solitude, she opened a drawer and discovered a Gideon-placed Bible.”
Aboard the Spirit of Tasmania, she locked herself in her cabin, overcome with fear and despair. In her solitude, she opened a drawer and discovered a Gideon-placed Bible. Flipping through the pages of Psalms, one verse gripped her heart, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” (Psalm 27:10). She broke down, weeping, and continued reading for hours. When the ferry arrived in Devonport, she told the ex-wife, “I just spent 12 hours reading the Bible.” The woman smiled and said, “Praise the Lord,” then led her to Christ that very day.
Over the next 12 weeks, she immersed herself in Scripture. Six weeks after coming to faith, she was baptized. At the baptism, a woman she had never met approached her, removed a silver locket bracelet from her wrist, and gave it to her. “The Father wants you to know He loves you so much,” she said.
As a child, she had once asked her mother for that exact bracelet but was mocked and denied. She had never told a soul. In that moment, she knew God had seen everything. Though she never knew her earthly father, she found peace knowing her Heavenly Father had always seen her. And from that day forward, she was certain: she would never walk alone.
“For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” – Psalm 27:10 (ESV)
*Name has been changed to protect identity