Promises for Mylah
THIS February 13, 2022, she is marking the first anniversary of her freedom— freedom from her dark past.
Yes, dark. Mylah is among the beneficiaries of our Jeremiah 33: 6-7, which provides shelter for minor girls, particularly victims of sexual abuse.
So, to protect her privacy, we don’t give her real name.
For this, her story, we call her Mylah.
Promises for Israel
Mylah is one of the beneficiaries of our Jeremiah 33:6-7 Foundation. Yes, anchored on the Biblical verse: 6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them and reveal to them abundance of prosperity and security. 7 I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first. (Jeremiah 33:6-7 English Standard Version)
As the Bible account goes, Judah was a Jew, a son of Jacob. Jacob was later named Israel, from whose lineage came the Israelites or now the modern Jews. The Israelites suffered persecution from a number of enemies until from the lineage of Israel came the Messiah— yes, our Savior Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfills God’s promises.
And yes, just as Jesus saved the Israelites, so has He set Mylah free from the bondage of sexual abuse.
Promises of Jeremiah
A study of social workers at the Jeremiah Foundation handling her case shows that as early as when she was 13 years old, Mylah suffered abuse from her father.
At first, it seemed a normal, happy life for Mylah, the eldest among three children in her family— playing with her sibs, going to school.
But the Jeremiah study shows Mylah claimed that when her mother was not around, out working, and her siblings were asleep, her father molested her— first caressing her arms and face, soon touching her private parts, and eventually raping her.
The abuse happened several times. But she kept mum about it, tried to live a normal life, even showing respect to her father— for her family’s sake. Still, the horror so haunted her, she couldn’t continue her studies. Instead, she joined the choir in her church where she gained friends. And in time, she managed to open up, reveal her ordeal to one of them.
The friend advised her to seek justice for her suffering. Mylah hesitated, not wanting to hurt her mother and siblings.
But still, no longer able to grapple with her trauma, Mylah sought counseling that led her to our Jeremiah shelter. Along with pastoral care for her, Jeremiah also started to seek justice for Mylah, persuading her to file a case against her father. But by the time Mylah decided to file the case, her father was already nowhere to be found.
So, the case was put on hold because according to law, the case would not prosper if the offender was at large and not present during the trial.
In the meantime, Jeremiah continued taking care of Mylah—giving her not only food and shelter, but also professional counseling support for her emotional well-being and, most important, spiritual nourishment as well, through Holy Masses, prayer meetings, and caring group sessions.
And then, a miracle. Out of the blue, her father surrendered to the court! Mylah, however, wrestled against proceeding with the case— after all, he is still her father.
But her faith deepened through her spiritual nourishment in Jeremiah, she now surrenders everything to God and lets His justice take its course.
Promises to Mylah
Actually, in a sense, vindication for Mylah is already happening– God fulfilling His Promises to her.
First, already able to see light at the end of her dark past, she is now a happier person.
Since, as the eldest in her family, she’s ate to her sibs, Myla also served as ate to her co-residents in Jeremiah, giving them advice especially when they misbehaved and, for good measure, sharing with them inspiring Biblical verses she learned during prayer meetings in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah accepts visitors, mostly volunteers ministering to the girls. And you’d see Myla gladly volunteering to welcome them and, together with the girls, singing to entertain the visitors.
Second, also at Jeremiah, girls learn to fend for themselves— in preparation for when they are no longer minors and thus go and live independently outside of the shelter.
Mylah didn’t know how to cook, but Jeremiah encourages the girls to prepare their own food. So, Mylah now knows how to cook.
The girls also do their own laundry. Mylah was allergic to detergents but she got over it and now she knows how to wash clothes— properly.
Mylah also trained for independent living as she served as a tutor or two girls through the Basic Literacy Program (BLP) under the Alternative Learning System.
Also, as part of learning livelihood skills, for a time, she went out of the shelter to work as a cashier at a bakery in Quezon province where she enjoyed the rural setting.
Promises Fulfilled
And then, the time came when Mylah reached past her minor age. Good and ready to live outside of the Jeremiah shelter, Mylah is now back with her family under the care of her maternal grandparent.
As well as she learned livelihood skills, Mylah also continues her formal academic schooling.
Now, she is 19 years old, a senior high school student under the Humanities and Social Sciences Strand (HUMSS) which is all about improving students’ reading, writing, and speaking skills. She aces the course, gaining high grades. And actually, one therapy for Mylah for coping with stress over her trauma is writing journals. Another practical therapy is she is engaging now in a business partnership with a friend, as well as looking for another source of income.
And, above it all, her best therapy is serving at her parish church, close to the Lord.
Health and healing. Revelations about abundance of prosperity and security. Restoration of fortunes. Rebuilding.
These are God’s promises where Jeremiah anchors its foundation.
These are promises God is fulfilling for Mylah.
–With Reporting by Cybill P. Bayto
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