Ryna's Story
It was a cold November night, when Ryna decided to leave her abusive family in Mountain View, Alaska. There was snow on the ground, yet she left with only the clothes she had on – a pair of shorts, long socks, and a heavy sweater. She was just 17 years old.
“I’m sitting there in my almost dry spot. My shorts getting wet. I’m getting even more cold, because my feet are already cold,” Ryna said. “I’m just like, I could die from hypothermia.” Ryna hugged herself against the tree. She continues, “And I was praying. I was praying real hard. I don’t know what I need right now, but I need something.”
That something turned out to be an elderly Native Alaskan man. But when he first approached her, she wasn’t so sure. Although he had a nice black leather coat with a fur on the hood, she could tell he was homeless. His hands and face looked rough and red, like he had been out in the cold for hours.
He offered to take her to Covenant House. It was a place she hadn’t heard of before, but she decided to follow him anyway. When they arrived at Covenant House, the man shooed her through the door with a wave of his hands. Later, when she turned around to look for him, he was gone.
Ryna stayed at Covenant House for about three months. At first, she slept lots and lots, something she couldn’t do in a violent home. But at Covenant House, she was able to let her guard down. Over the next four years, she jumped from couch to couch and program to program before achieving stability. Today she is raising a son, lives in her own home, and works at Covenant House.