I have everything I could want or need, I'm a very strong Christian, I'm a wife and mom of three, I do an amazing job as a doula, my my husband runs a bank, my kids have wonderful schools to go to, we have never had debt. It's hard to believe since I come from a long line of drug addicts and scammers. My parents had abused and neglected me. When I was ten I packed my things into a small suitcase and ran away into the deep, dark woods of Colorado. When I arrived in the woods I found an old abandoned cabin with two bedrooms, a bathroom, a small kitchen, a small living room and a small bathroom. The cabin was brown, had only two windows in the entire cabin, and was ancient and tiny. The cabin must have been fifty years old. The wood on the outside of the cabin had termite damage and splinters all over it, but at that age I didn't care. I just needed a place to live. I ate everything I found edible, such as non-poisonous berries, birds, fish, and certain types of leaves. I remember feeling so alone in that cabin, but I had nowhere else to go other than the foster care system. I felt I was too old, no one wants to adopt a ten year old. One day something happened that changed my life forever. I found two girls approaching the cabin, the older girl had blonde hair and green eyes, she was very skinny and was very dirty. He was carrying a little girl with curly black hair and blue eyes. She too was dirty and very thin. The older girl's name was Samantha, she was six years old. The youngest girl's name was Kate, she was one year old and had Down syndrome. Both girls were covered in bruises. I said to Samantha "what are you doing here?" She replied, “I am… half paper… and I come from a long line of prisoners. I do not deserve what God has for me now, but "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life John three: sixteen." I never had the chance to talk to my biological parents about God. So, every other Friday I go to a women's prison to share the word of God. I love sharing God's gift because everyone needs him, maybe they don't realize it, but it is extremely important. If I had grown up with a different family situation I wouldn't be able to relate to the kind of people I currently deal with. One thing I don't think a lot of people realize is that there are children and teenagers out there living alone not just in other countries because it happens here in the United States too. I hope my story inspires you and helps you understand a somewhat forgotten culture.