In the compelling memoir Who Will Wipe My Tears Away?, Earlina Gilford-Weaver tells the story of how she survived childhood sexual abuse and was later saved by God.

Earlina was nine years old when she was first sexually abused by uncles who were entrusted to care for her, but instead, robbed her of her innocence. Raised by an emotionally-distant mother and an overwhelmed grandmother, Earlina’s journey through childhood became agonizing. She relays how she dealt with her internal pain by stealing, lying, and running away—eventually becoming a ward of the state. After she was moved from group homes to foster care where she would stay with over twenty different families, Earlina was once again sexually molested by the males who surrounded her. All the while, Earlina would continually ask herself the same question: Why isn’t God wiping my tears away? It would not be until much later when Earlina walked into a church on her birthday that she would realize God had been by her side all along.

Throughout Earlina’s heartbreaking story is an unforgettable message that through it all, loving yourself—no matter what others have done to you—is the key to surviving even the worst of circumstances.