Miracle Jane Doe

By Brenda R. Bell

It is one thing to go through a traumatic event when you are the victim.  

It is another thing when your only daughter is left for dead, and all you have is faith to keep her alive.

On one particular October night in 1997, Aisha left her family home to go clubbing with her so-called boyfriend and friends in the

• Language: English
• Publisher: Janelle Pope
• Release date: Dec 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088008119

Book preview

Acknowledgement

To my whole immediate Pope/Campbell/Gurley/Smith/Bell family, Thank you for supporting me then, and thank you for supporting me now. You have always been a reliable source of strength for me when my reserves run short.

I would especially like to thank those of you who have supported this book from the very beginning; your support means more to me than words can express. To all who didn’t have the faith to believe beforehand, I pray that now having seen the evidence you believe now.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all of my friends and family that surrounded and embraced me during this momentous period of our lives. I cannot mention you all by name, but please know that I will always be grateful.

To my prayer partners, words cannot adequately express my gratitude for your prayers and labor of love.

Forward

Miracle Jane Doe is a captivating story of survival, brought forth by the spiritual tenacity and never-wavering prayer life of a mother of faith. Its pages demonstrate what is possible for someone who refuses to accept the status quo while maintaining a strong relationship with her Lord.

As you read this story, you will find yourself traveling alongside the Author through the traumatic period experienced by her and her daughter. Readers will be able to feel the pain while experiencing the faith of someone who refused to give up, give out, or give in.

This book is a must-read for those with children who have ventured away from God’s best for them. It will help keep the parent focused on the never-failing promises of Almighty God.

Dr H. Michael Chitwood

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 - A Long Night

Chapter 2 - Missing!

Chapter 3 - Daughter Of The King

Chapter 4 - Soul Battle

Chapter 5 - War Room (Power Of Prayer)

Chapter 6 - She Was Called Jane Doe!

Chapter 7 - Miracle (It’s A Heartbeat)

Chapter 8 - Coping With Grief

Chapter 9 - Forgiveness

Chapter 10 - Why God Allows Trials

Chapter 11 - Angels

Chapter 12 - Healing Hearts

Chapter 13 - The Puppet Show

Chapter 14 - Healed

Epilogue - Sexual Assault Statistics

Introduction

Rape

That word makes me cringe. I hate that word. I'm reminded of certain things when I hear that word. I'm reminded of how cruel some people can be and how dark the world can be.  I'm reminded that the heinous act of rape continues to infringe on everyone's basic human rights. I'm reminded of how rape victims feel and how powerless they are in the face of such a dreadful act. I am grieved that this act is still committed. It grieves me to find that not every perpetrator has been prosecuted for it.

Courage

These days, women talk about what rape and other forms of abuse have done to them. I admire them! They are speaking up because it is a part of their story. Somehow, courage and strength have manifested themselves in them through their voice, and parents are standing with these victims, showing their support as their beloved daughters speak up. I am a parent of a precious daughter who was raped at the tender age of 21. I understand what it's like to be a rock for someone who has been robbed of her strength, rendered defenseless, and humiliated as a result of what happened to her.

The reality

My daughter was raped and was missing for several days. The man responsible was never found. These words cannot be said without my heart fluttering a bit. The attack happened on a cold October night in 1997 and 22 years later, I cannot have total peace within myself when I say something like that.

How could I? Who would ever want to say those words about their daughter, let alone their firstborn! Nobody would. Maybe you could.  To be able to acknowledge the darkest period in one's life requires a special kind of strength. The same emotions that I have felt in 1997 resurface when I think about my daughter's attack. The same mother instinct creeps up in my veins when I go back to those moments. It is likened to seeing a scar you got from an incident and by remembering that incident, you start to feel the pain that you endured when it happened to you, except this pain runs deeper than a flesh wound. This pain has become a part of me. Although the attack didn't involve me, it happened to me because my daughter is MY daughter. She is a piece of my heart, always. Nothing would or could ever change that.

With this book, I want you to see my pain, my broken soul, and what it is like to persevere in hard times. Just like a fisherman who needs a board to cut open a fish so he can cook it, the event of my daughter's attack provides the perfect setting for you to see what my heart is like, what faith is like, and what God is like in real-time.

For any victim or parent who has gone through this experience or who is going through it right now, I want to share your pain by inviting you to see my pain. I also want to show you that there is a God who cares for you and who can restore you. Most of all, I want you to see that every victim of abuse has a name and that you are worthy of an identity. You're not a lost cause. You’re not a statistic. You're not a Jane Doe. 

If you have not experienced anything like what I am going to share with you, that is okay. I hope that this book will equip you on how to empathize with those who have gone through this. Having your daughter go through a traumatic, humiliating, and abusive situation may sap you of your energy. Despite all of the sorrow, pain, uncertainty, and fury you've experienced, there is hope for strength and light. I'll show you. 

Introducing Miracle Jane Doe

Chapter 1

A LONG NIGHT

October 10th, 1997

It was a Wednesday night, a normal night. I suspected that she was going to the DMV area (D.C.-Maryland- Virginia) with her boyfriend at the time and a friend of his too. I told her that I wasn’t comfortable about her going out that night because I discerned that something was not right. She was a young adult at this time, so the decision was ultimately hers anyway. At that time, she trusted herself not to get into bad situations. She must have trusted the two young boys as well.

We did not always see things eye to eye and certainly didn’t agree on everything, just like her decision to go out that night. But no matter how grown she is, I am always protective of Aisha, and not knowing much about those two men nor having any details about where she was going left me troubled.

My daughter always had this sort of carefree spirit about her. She doesn't like to be cooped up inside the house nor was she the type of girl that sits at home to read. She was very much about the nightlife and always wanted to experience different things. It was a part of her nightly routine to go dancing, or as the young ones say, go clubbing in the DMV area. My husband and I at the time did not agree with the lifestyle that clubbing promotes, but she was an adult. I was careful not to put her on a leash, nor deny her right to exercise her free will.

That night, she was wearing a U.S.A shirt with blue jeans. I wasn’t sure if that was an appropriate clubbing dress, or if it was a disguise and she had other clothes in mind to wear. Either way, she was looking beautiful as always. She had long, black hair and bangs that rivaled the status of a model. She knew how to apply her make-up well, so when she asked me to take a photo of her that night, it was hard to say no to my pretty baby girl.

Not knowing anything about those guys she was going out with left a sour taste in my mouth. I mean, if you have a daughter, I am sure you would feel the same. She hardly spoke to me about her boyfriend. That I wasn’t given a chance to know these boys made me feel that something was off about their character. Yes, they were young men, but if they were responsible, they could have shown some respect by coming in to introduce themselves. I never remember Aisha introducing them at all. She never involved me in that part of her life.

She was quick to get out of the house that night. Herndon, Virginia didn't have much of a nightlife, so when it was time for her to go out, the DMV was the area that she was always ready to go to.

It was a regular, weekly thing for her. She probably went there because that is where she felt free, most alive and I understood that. As a parent, though, it's natural to worry about your children being out in the world, no matter how old they get.

So the night went on..........and on..........and on. She left shortly after 8 pm. 8 pm turned to 9 pm. 9 pm turned to 11 pm, then 2 am. I was getting nothing from her, not a message, not a call, nothing.

My mind started to ask questions.