Mercy Ministries, now called Mercy Multiplied, is a program designed for girls ages 13-28 who are dealing with life controlling issues. As my one year since graduation comes and goes, there are many things we Mercy Sisters can agree upon about our experiences at Mercy. Below are the ways you know you’re a Mercy Girl.

You know you are a Mercy Girl when...

1. Most of your sentences start with, "When I was at Mercy...” and people often give you a funny look.

2. You sit on the bathroom counter and pluck your eyebrows, praying you do not get caught.

3. Major Cleaning Day is either completely dreaded or dearly loved… (grease traps were always dreaded, though!)

4. You now feel weird going into certain stores at the mall because you were, at one time, not allowed to enter.

5. God’s Creative Power is continually stuck in your head, and you know that it is a good thing.

6. You have an abundance of books from Mercy to which you’ve dedicated an entire bookshelf.

7. You are used to only having sweets on the weekends, and any other time you have them now, you feel like you might be breaking a rule.

8. You keep all of your receipts, but soon realize that you have not touched your six-inch pile of receipts in months.

9. You buy mouthwash, but first check it for alcohol.

10. You once longed to be able to use gel pens and highlighters (G2 pens are the best!).

11. Sharpie pens were a very debatable topic in the home.

12. Your truth statements are your constant go to, and they remind you of the truth the Lord has given you.

13. You had to set a budget for every mall adventure, including a list of items you would be buying and estimated prices of each of those items.

14. Changing in your room feels beyond weird, but thank the Lord it is bigger than the bathroom stall in which you once had to change.

15. Robes are an absolute must -- you had better not get caught running from your shower to the bathroom stall to change!

16. You dreaded your weekly work detail being bathrooms. Ewww…

17. Not shaving for a week feels like nothing because you have once gone months without shaving (gross, I know).

18. Prep is either your favorite thing or your most hated thing.

19. You are beyond excited for Nutella Sundays.

20. You miss a designated snack time… uh oh!

21. You sleep through the wake-up call. Hopefully a sister loves you enough to wake you before staff make their way through the wings.

22. You must paint your fingernails outside, and only on rainy or extremely hot days do you get to paint them indoors (be careful though, you might spill it on the tile!).

23. You cherish every single second of a phone call because they were once limited.

24. You feel weird going to the mall by yourself now because you do not have a Mercy buddy to help approve your purchases.

25. You see someone else wearing a Mercy ring, and you immediately bond.