Born into trauma, addiction, and deep spiritual confusion, Charlene Humphrey’s life began marked by pain, loss, and a relentless search for identity, love, and belonging. This is the story of how God met her in the depths of brokenness and transformed her ashes into beauty, leading her from darkness into freedom, purpose, and redemption through Jesus Christ.
I was born in 1988 into a life already marked by struggle. My mother was an addict, caught in cycles of crime and wrestling with her own inner demons. I came from a family line steeped in generational witchcraft, and from a very young age I felt a deep fascination with the spiritual realm. Even as a child, I was searching for meaning, identity, and belonging, though I did not yet know where to find them.
By the age of five, I had been exposed to severe sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. It left deep scars, both emotionally and physically, and I have since been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is connected to the long-term impact of that trauma. My childhood was not one of safety or protection, yet in the midst of chaos, I experienced love through my grandparents.
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I lived with my grandparents, my mother’s parents, who provided me with stability, consistency, and unconditional love. Those years remain some of the most precious memories of my life, and I treasure them deeply in my heart. Unfortunately, the trauma I had experienced began to manifest in my behaviour as I grew older. My emotional pain became too much for my grandparents to manage, and they were eventually no longer able to care for me.
As a mixed-race child raised in a white family, with no relationship with my father or connection to my black heritage, I struggled deeply with identity.
As a mixed-race child raised in a white family, with no relationship with my father or connection to my black heritage, I struggled deeply with identity. I was one of the few Black children in my school and in children’s homes, and I experienced severe racial bullying because of the colour of my skin. This constant rejection left me feeling unwanted, unseen, and disconnected from who I was created to be. I could not embrace my identity and instead shrank inward, becoming shy, withdrawn, and insecure.
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When I eventually left the children’s home, my life took a darker turn. I entered the sex industry and became involved in crime as a means of survival. I was searching for love, validation, and acceptance in all the wrong places. Alcohol and drugs became my escape from reality, and I found myself trapped in abusive domestic relationships. My mental health deteriorated rapidly, and I reached a point where I no longer knew who I was. One of the most heart-breaking experiences of my life was having my children removed from my care. The pain of that loss is indescribable. I love my children deeply and will always carry sorrow that I was not able to be the mother they deserved during that season of my life.
During this time, I became heavily involved in witchcraft, including tarot reading, crystals, reiki healing, and chakra practices.
During this time, I became heavily involved in witchcraft, including tarot reading, crystals, reiki healing, and chakra practices. I was on the verge of joining a coven. Although I believed I was seeking healing and enlightenment, I was moving further into darkness. Everything changed during a hospital admission when I experienced overwhelming panic and believed I was about to die. As I lay back on the bed, I felt my spirit leave my body. At first, there was only darkness. Then I saw a light, and as I moved toward it, I heard a voice say, “Follow me.” I knew it was the voice of God and as I looked down I could see my physical body lying on the bed. When I came back into myself, a nurse asked my name, and I replied, “Destiny.” I believe that night God saved my life.
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After that encounter, I renounced the occult and made the most important decision of my life, I gave my life to Jesus Christ and was baptised. From that moment, everything began to change.
My birthday is the 4th of July, Independence Day, a day symbolising liberty and freedom. I believe this is deeply prophetic of my calling. God has led me through the fire and given me beauty for ashes. The scripture that anchors my life is Psalm 107:2: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”
Before Christ, I was lost, broken, addicted, and consumed by darkness. Since giving my life to Jesus, God has restored my mental and physical health, and I am no longer addicted to any substances. God has restored my relationship with my nan and my children, and miraculously overturned a forced adoption, allowing my son to remain out of the adoption system. I attend a thriving, God-centred Pentecostal church, called the Family Church. Before Christ I used to feel very upset as I had no family, now God has adopted me into his family and I am grateful for the love and support my family in Christ God has blessed me with and I can now see how God had his hand on my life long before I recognised him.
I want others to know that no one is ever too lost or broken for God. There is no situation He cannot redeem. What Satan meant for harm, God will turn for good. God’s love is unconditional. Our past does not define us—we are righteous because of what Jesus did on the cross.
When we anchor our identity in Christ, we walk in authority, freedom, and purpose. God led me through the fire, and gave me beauty for ashes. He will do the same for anyone willing to open their heart to Him.
