College student uses internet in hopes of renting a family for the holidays
26-year-old Jackie Turner only desires one thing for Christmas, and that’s to celebrate it with a family. The William Jessup University student has lived a life of emotional, sexual and physical abuse, and describing her situation as one that produced a product of a broken home is an understatement.
Jackie has no family, so she has decided to post an ad on Craigslist in hopes of renting one for the season.
The ad, written by Jackie Turner, reads, “I am looking to rent a mom and dad who can give me attention and make me feel like the light of their life just for a couple of days because I really need it.”
“On the outside, it looks like I’m the American dream kid,” the 26-year-old said. “But I have a back story that most people wouldn’t believe if they looked at me today.”
As a means of escape, Turner says that she turned to a life of crime, often living on the streets and involving herself in gang activity as a means of survival. She was eventually arrested for grand theft in Sacramento County, and after spending almost a year in jail, she decided to change her life. Now, she’s a presidential scholar at William Jessup University and maintains a 4.0 grade point average.
Despite Turner’s achievements, the love and support of a family is still missing. Her ad states that she’d be willing to pay $8 an hour. “Just to sit, just to listen,” she told News 10. “Just to cry with me, no strings beyond that. I’ve never felt the touch of my Mom hugging me and holding me. I don’t know what it’s like to look in my dad’s eyes and feel love instead of hatred.”
Dozens of families responded to the ad, all willing to take her in for free. Turner received responses from those in need, searching for family much like herself.
May this young lady gain peace and fulfillment not just for Christmas, but beyond that of the holiday season.
Thoughts on Turner’s ad?
Would you open up your home to a stranger for the holiday season?
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