We've all heard the saying, "beautiful on the inside and out". But has anyone ever decided what that really means? How do we judge beauty on the inside that we cannot see? I believe it has to do with a person's spirit and the effect it has on others. A beautiful spirit becomes something concrete - something you see and feel and love. A good spirit hits others like an unseen force, and people say, "Wow...there's something really there inside, and I want to find out what that is." Laura had that effect on me when I first met her and became friends with her. Everything about her - her work ethic, her faith, her desire to learn and grow and better her family - it inspires me. She is truly beautiful and I will do my best to convey the full character of the woman she is.
You wouldn't believe it if you met her, but Laura was a victim of domestic violence for years. The father of her sons was physically abusive, verbally abusive, and emotionally abusive. Of course at the beginning she believed that he was only jealous and wanted to protect their relationship... because he loved her that much. As it continued, however, she realized that it wasn’t normal. He started to threaten her, telling her that he was going to kill her and no one would know because she didn’t have family. The thought of being killed without anyone knowing is what really caused her fear. Then he started abusing her two small children and at that she reacted. When he attempted to harm them is when she left.
Laura says, "For me, my children are the greatest thing that God has given me besides life. Perhaps because my parents never protected me, I protect my children like a lioness." And so she left without clothes or money and went to a friend’s house to occupy a room. "It was not easy to leave. It was a difficult decision to make, because my children were very young and I was pregnant. I didn’t work, I didn’t have family, but God gave me the strength."
Life wasn't easy for Laura as she started a new life for her family. She spoke no English, had no clothes, food, or money and her children were so very young. She could count her possessions at the time: one thin blanket and one thick blanket. She remembers that when she was cold she would put the thick blanket on top, and when she was hot she would put the thin blanket on top. That was her life as she struggled to get by.
She was overwhelmed with physical and emotional stress. Laura was still pregnant at the time, but she had so many doubts about being able to raise another child. The uncertainty and feelings of being totally alone led Laura to alternatives. "I had a lot of stuff going on in my life, I didn’t have money, and I thought how am I going to do this. I don’t want any more children. Because I saw life so difficult, I thought about aborting him." Call it an act of faith, an angel, or maybe just a coincidence, but Laura met the right woman at the right time. A stranger saw Laura in tears at the bus stop and approached her and said, "It is a blessing to be expecting a baby and God is going to help you." And God began helping her.
The woman that Laura rented a room from was an ex-resident of House of Ruth. The woman knew that Laura needed help, especially when she saw her 8-months pregnant, crying in the stairwell one night so as to not wake her children. The woman only spoke English and they really couldn't understand each other. They found someone to translate and the woman told Laura not to cry because there was a place that could help her. That place was House of Ruth. She made an appointment for Laura to go for an interview. "During the interview I was nervous, because it was different. But House of Ruth opened its doors to me from the first day. I felt protected."
"When I got to House of Ruth, my self-esteem rose. I didn’t feel alone. I felt safe and secure. I started to view life differently. For the first time, I was happy that the sun was out. I was able to see the trees, the birds, and to see that life was beautiful. Even though I didn’t have a mother, father, family or a good husband, I had a life."
The family dinners were Laura's favorite part. To her, praying together and eating together at the house was the first experience of a family that she ever had. It made her feel loved. Having the support of the staff also comforted her. Two months after giving birth to Jesus, Laura was talking to Luisa. Luisa told her, "Laura, you look good. Everything will be okay." She felt her sincerity and tenderness. No one had ever appreciated and valued Laura that way before.
Laura says that without House of Ruth she would not have been able to move forward. She might have gone back to her ex-husband who would have continued to harm her. She wouldn’t have been able to go to school. Her children would probably not be the children that she has today. "For me, coming to House of Ruth was the best thing to happen to me, because I was reborn. Today, my life is different. I have three wonderful sons Axel, Danny, and Jesus."
"In this stage of my life, I feel happy. I think that in all my life I have never been so happy as I am today. I have God, I have my children, and I have my House of Ruth family. I have a house, my car, and health. I have everything. My goals are to work on my children being good citizens, better myself, and to open my own day care, and I have continued to study. Right now, I work for House of Ruth and I have a license in child development, I work with children that are victims of domestic violence. In this moment, my children also see life differently...after everything they have seen, what we have suffered as a family. Axel is in school, they all are in school. Daniel is joining the Marines. Jesus wants to be a graphic designer. And what gives me the most pride is that they always have in mind to give back to House of Ruth when they are professionals because House of Ruth helped us."
"I give thanks to God because he made people like Sister Jennifer and gave people the thought of establishing a shelter for victims of domestic violence. To all those women who are reading this, and are afraid to make a decision to leave domestic violence, I want to tell you that it is not easy but that yes you can. And when you do, you will feel that you are reborn."
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