I THINK A LOT OF TIMES YOU

DON'T

REALIZE THAT YOU HAVE A BLANK

CANVAS

IN FRONT OF YOU.

BUT AT ANY POINT WE CAN WASH

OUR LIFE

CLEAN, HAVE A VISION FOR THE

FUTURE.

IT WAS THAT SAME HOPE FOR

A NEW

START THAT BROUGHT MICHELLE

TO THE

UNITED STATES FROM THEIR HOME

IN

NIGERIA.

MICHELLE REMEMBERS TRYING TO

FIT IN.

I WAS THE KIND OF PERSON

THAT

FLOATED FROM GROUP TO GROUP

BECAUSE I

WANTED TO BE EVERYBODY'S

FRIEND.

AT HOME HER PARENTS

EXPECTED

NOTHING LESS THAN PERFECTION

ESPECIALLY AT SCHOOL.

IT WAS DO AS YOU ARE TOLD

AND GET

YOUR GRADES.

DIMINISH ELSE WAS A 4.0

GPA IN

HIGH SCHOOL.

WHAT SHE WANTED FROM HER

PARENTS IN

APPROVAL IS WHAT SHE NEEDED

AT HOME.

LOVE, I DIDN'T EXPERIENCE

THAT THE

WAY I SEE OTHER FAMILIES

COMMUNICATE

ABOUT LOVE.

SHE SOON WENT TO A

UNIVERSITY IN

CALIFORNIA AND SHE ALSO

CARRIED ALONG

WITH HER THE SAME NEED TO BE

ONE OF

THE GIRLS.

I JOINED A SORORITY TO BE

A PART OF

SOMETHING, DIFFERENT HONOR

SOCIETIES.

DIFFERENT CLUBS AT SCHOOL.

I CREATED MY LIFE TO BE WHAT

I THOUGHT

I WANTED FROM WHAT I WATCHED

ON MOVIES

BECAUSE THAT WAS MY FOCUS,

THAT'S WHAT

I WORKED TOWARDS.

MICHELLE WAS ALWAYS UP FOR

A GOOD

TIME AND WAS SOMETIMES NAIVE

ABOUT

PEOPLE'S INTENTIONS.

ONE NIGHT SHE RAN INTO A

FRIEND AND

AGREED TO HAVE A DRINK WITH

HIM.

HE WAS REALLY ADAMANT

ABOUT WANTING

KNOW DRINK A DRINK AND DRINK

A LOT.

ALL I CAN REMEMBER IS THAT

THE WHOLE

ROOM TURNED BLACK AND IT WAS

LIKE I

COULD SEE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN

IT GOT

BLACKER AND IT WENT OUT.

I WOKE UP IN THE MORNING AND

I WAS IN

MY BED IN MY ROOM AND I DON'T

KNOW HOW

I GET THERE AND MY SHIRT WAS

LIFTED

OVER ME AND HE WAS FORCING

HIMSELF

OVER ME AND I CAN REMEMBER, I

WAS

COHERENT AND FINALLY I GOT UP

AND I

REMEMBER CRAWLING TO THE

BATHROOM AND

JUST TRYING TO SOBER MYSELF

UP AND

LOOKED IN THE MIRROR AND I

THINK IS

THIS REALLY HAPPENING?

THE RAPE LEFT MICHELLE

FULL OF

GUILT AND DEPRESSION.

I COULDN'T TRUST MYSELF.

I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW I LET

SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAPPEN.

AT THAT MOMENT I FELT THAT

LIGHT

DISAPPEAR.

AFTER COLLEGE MICHELLE

JUMPED FROM

ONE CAREER TO THE NEXT MOST

WE BIG PAY

CHECKS ATTACHED BUT NONE OF

THEM FELT

RIGHT.

AFTER BLOWING THROUGH $80,000

IN ONE

YEAR, SHE MOVED BACK HOME

WITH HER

PARENTS.

I WAS DESPERATE FOR MY

LIFE TO

CHANGE AND I REALLY COULDN'T

KEEP

GOING THE WAY I WAS GOING

BECAUSE I

WAS A TRAIN WRECK.

I WAS RECKLESS.

MICHELLE REACHED A LOW

POINT TO

WHERE GOD COULD REACH HER.

I PICKED UP A JOURNAL AND

I STARTED

WRITING.

IT WAS SOMETHING BIGGER TO ME

SPEAKING

TO ME THROUGH MY WRITING AND

LETTING

ME KNOW THAT EVERYTHING WAS

GOING TO

BE OKAY.

SIX MONTHS LATER MICHELLE

DECIDED

TO START HER OWN BUSINESS.

SHE SIGNED UP FOR A TRAINING

SEMINAR.

THE EXPERIENCE WASN'T WHAT

SHE

EXPECTED.

ONE OF THE EARLY TOOLS

THAT SHE

SHARED ABOUT WAS FORGIVENESS.

AND SHE HAD EACH OF US WRITE

OUR NAME

ON A PIECE OF PAPER AND

FORGIVE

OURSELVES AND AT THAT TIME I

WAS A

BAWLING MESS. I CRIED, I

WROTE DOWN

THE PERSON THAT RAPED ME, I

WROTE DOWN

MY MOM AND MY DAD, I WROTE

DOWN A LOT

OF PEOPLE.

SHE DID WHAT I KNOW NOW AS AN

ALTER

CALL. SHE JUST SAID BASICALLY

IF YOU

WANT TO KNOW MY GOD, THEN

COME UP TO

THE FRONT AND I'M GOING TO

SHARE WITH

YOU WHO MY GOD IS AND I'M

GOING TO

LEAD YOU TO HIM.

I JUST SURRENDED EVERYTHING

BECAUSE

EVERYTHING I WAS DOING WASN'T

WORKING.

SO THAT WAS WHEN I KNEW AND

THEN I

JUST HAD A SENSE OF HOPE

AGAIN, YOU

KNOW, THAT THERE IS MAYBE A

CHANCE

THAT I COULD WASH THE SLATE

CLEAN, YOU

KNOW?

MICHELLE LEARNED THAT

THROUGH

CHRIST SHE COULD START WITH A

CLEAN

SLATE.

HER HEART BEGAN TO HEAL AND

SHE FOR

GAVE THOSE WHO WRONGED HER

AND SHE IS

REMINDED OF HER ROAD TO

SALVATION.

BEFORE I KNEW THE LORD, I

HAD THE

SAFETY OF THE CAGE, THE HOME

AND WHEN

I'M FINISHED, IT'S GOING TO

HAVE THE

DOORS SWINGING OPEN AND THEN

WHERE I'M

SOARING ABOUT.