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ANGELS IN OUR MIDST
November is National Adopts Month and thousands of abused, neglected and abandoned children are waiting for homes.
Children like Katelyn.
When she was nine years old, her mother gave her away to one of her friends.
The abuse that child endured at the hands of that friend and another woman is "almost" unspeakable.
"Almost", because a very strong little girl found her voice among the Angels in Our Midst.
Katelyn; "My hand was put in a pot of boiling water. I had pots of boiling water thrown on me. I was beaten with coat hangers. I was starved or fed too much."
Torture that lasted for almost two years. Finally, investigators rescued and took a battered 73-pound 11 year old to the hospital. Katelyn was relieved and scared.
Katelyn, Child Abuse Survivor; "The reason I was scared was because I thought I would have to go back to that place. That they were just taking me out to fix me and they would put me back there."
But, they didn't. In fact, they sent guardian angels, foster parents, Jeff and Christie Pendleton to sit at her hospital bedside.
Jeff Pendleton, Katelyn's Angel; "Soon as I walked in the door, saw a little girl bandaged from head to toe, raised up on the bed and just said, Hey, you guys, how are you doing? Come on in and watch a movie with me."
Christie Pendleton, Katelyn's Angel; The child had nobody and she needed somebody. And she needed somebody to take care of her and that, that motherly thing, I guess, comes through.
And that thing called love, is what they gave Katelyn from the moment they saw her til they took her into their home as a foster child. In no time at all, the conversation turned to adoption.
"Good, really good. I was excited."
"I knew that everyone around me they were there to protect me. And they would never let anything bad happen to me."
Especially not her new big brother. Colby says Katelyn fit into the family from day one.
Colby Pendleton, Katelyn's Big Brother; "Oh, yeah. Yeah, we've always butted heads like the regular brother and sister. But, when it comes right down to it, she needs help, needs protecting, I'm there; the big bad brother."
Having the love of a family and counseling at the Children's Advocacy Center gave Katelyn the desire and the courage to stand before crowds and tell her story.
Katelyn; "If they're being hurt they need to tell somebody. And if they don't listen, they need to tell somebody else until they do listen."
Mom; "She has appreciated being able to be alive, to live a normal life, much less to have a family of her own."
Dad; "And I think a lot of it has to do, she knows she's safe."
And because she feels it is what god needs for her to do.
Katelyn; "I think He wants to make the world a better place too and have somebody do the job and go out and tell people that hurting kids isn't the way the world is supposed to be."
Next Katelyn Plans to write a book. She already knows the title.
"Unbreakable because I can't be broken and I'm not broken so I'm unbreakable."
Children like Katelyn.
When she was nine years old, her mother gave her away to one of her friends.
The abuse that child endured at the hands of that friend and another woman is "almost" unspeakable.
"Almost", because a very strong little girl found her voice among the Angels in Our Midst.
Katelyn; "My hand was put in a pot of boiling water. I had pots of boiling water thrown on me. I was beaten with coat hangers. I was starved or fed too much."
Torture that lasted for almost two years. Finally, investigators rescued and took a battered 73-pound 11 year old to the hospital. Katelyn was relieved and scared.
Katelyn, Child Abuse Survivor; "The reason I was scared was because I thought I would have to go back to that place. That they were just taking me out to fix me and they would put me back there."
But, they didn't. In fact, they sent guardian angels, foster parents, Jeff and Christie Pendleton to sit at her hospital bedside.
Jeff Pendleton, Katelyn's Angel; "Soon as I walked in the door, saw a little girl bandaged from head to toe, raised up on the bed and just said, Hey, you guys, how are you doing? Come on in and watch a movie with me."
Christie Pendleton, Katelyn's Angel; The child had nobody and she needed somebody. And she needed somebody to take care of her and that, that motherly thing, I guess, comes through.
And that thing called love, is what they gave Katelyn from the moment they saw her til they took her into their home as a foster child. In no time at all, the conversation turned to adoption.
"Good, really good. I was excited."
"I knew that everyone around me they were there to protect me. And they would never let anything bad happen to me."
Especially not her new big brother. Colby says Katelyn fit into the family from day one.
Colby Pendleton, Katelyn's Big Brother; "Oh, yeah. Yeah, we've always butted heads like the regular brother and sister. But, when it comes right down to it, she needs help, needs protecting, I'm there; the big bad brother."
Having the love of a family and counseling at the Children's Advocacy Center gave Katelyn the desire and the courage to stand before crowds and tell her story.
Katelyn; "If they're being hurt they need to tell somebody. And if they don't listen, they need to tell somebody else until they do listen."
Mom; "She has appreciated being able to be alive, to live a normal life, much less to have a family of her own."
Dad; "And I think a lot of it has to do, she knows she's safe."
And because she feels it is what god needs for her to do.
Katelyn; "I think He wants to make the world a better place too and have somebody do the job and go out and tell people that hurting kids isn't the way the world is supposed to be."
Next Katelyn Plans to write a book. She already knows the title.
"Unbreakable because I can't be broken and I'm not broken so I'm unbreakable."
ANGELS IN OUR MIDST ENTRY FORM
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