When Violence Took Everything, Love Gave It Back — Karla's Story

Karla was five years old when the violence that ruled her neighborhood came through her own front door. Her father was a gang member, and rival gang members murdered him in their home, with his family inside. No child recovers easily from witnessing something like that, and for Karla it was only the beginning.

In the aftermath, her family came apart. Her mother turned to drugs to numb the loss. Her brothers, burning for revenge, joined rival gangs themselves, feeding the very cycle that had killed their father. The little girl in the middle of it all had no one left who could protect her.

In 2008, Karla was brought to the City of Refuge. She arrived carrying trauma that most adults never have to face, and healing did not happen overnight. Trust, especially, had to be rebuilt one day at a time, by caregivers who kept showing up whether she pushed them away or not.

They kept showing up. In her own words, Karla says it best: “I have experienced the love of a family, and have people that protect me.”

Today, Karla trusts others. She has accepted God’s love for her and continues healing from the trauma of her early years. And there is so much more to her than her past: she is intelligent, friendly, and endlessly curious, with real talents in athletics and music that the City of Refuge has given her room to develop.

The girl who lost her family to gang violence has found a family that will never leave. Her future is bright and full of potential.