Today, I have part one of another story that will grab your heart and then, I think, ultimately encourage you to praise God. It’s the story of the Abbate family. Husband Steven and his wife, Maryanne, and their children Adam, Rachel, Jon and Luke.
If you are from the Atlanta, Georgia area, or from the Winston-Salem area of North Carolina, you are probably well aware of who these amazing people are. I had not heard of them until receiving a pre-release DVD of the film that tells what happened to them in February of 2005. The name of the film is The 5th Quarter, and when I watched it, I was gripped in a way I never have been gripped by a movie.
So today, I have for you part one of a conversation I had with Steven and Maryanne Abbate.
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Crossing Over, Part 3
Today, we conclude our conversation with the remarkable Ellie Collins.
By way of review, Ellie has told us of her very poor and traumatic childhood and adolescence. Raised by a physically abusive grandmother, sexually abused by her step-father and step-brother, forced into a marriage at 16 years old to a much older man who raped and beat her, raped again by a man who was supposed to be helping her escape, and then forced into prostitution.
In the midst of this, she cries out to God in the best way she knows how, and pleas with Him to get her out of there. Miraculously, God sends a friend who helps her escape the clutches of the brothel owner.
She makes her way to America, learns to speak English, and ultimately begins to build a life as a beautician, with a clientele that includes Hollywood celebrities.
She marries a man who after several years of marriage desserts her.
This sends her into a life of drugs and promiscuity. This is where we begin our episode.
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Today, we continue our conversation with Ellie Collins.
Last episode, we heard a story of innocence lost, betrayal, violence, human traficking and more, as Ellie told about her childhood in Honduras where she lived with her physically abusive grandmother, then with her mother where her step-father and step-brother abused her sexually.
She was then forced into a marriage at 16 years old to a much older man who raped her and beat her and would leave her tied up while he left the shack they lived in.
She ran away from there, only to be raped again by a man who was supposed to be helping her escape, and finally she finds herself seemingly rescued by a woman who takes her in, buys her medical care, and clothes, gives her a place to stay…only to find out that she is indebted to the woman, who is requiring her to work off the debt in the brothel the woman owns.
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Check it out! Mention you heard this show and get a 15% discount on any voiceover project!
I have a very special guest today, and the story you are about to hear will probably have you on the edge of your seat. It’s a story of innocence lost, betrayal, and violence, but even more, it is a story of God’s love, and His healing, redemptive power.
When I first heard this story, I knew that I had to introduce you to this incredible woman, whose name is Ellie Collins. Ellie’s full story is written about in the book “Crossing Over”. The author is Ish Payne.
“Mighty to Save”
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