Michele,
I joined you in your prayer for God's protection and peace. You're right to reach out to God and the Christian community. You need to seriously look at your relationship with Giovanni. You need to think about yourself, your safety and your wellbeing. Reach out to other women. You'll find you're not alone.
Yvonne DeVaughn is the national coordinator of AVA (Advocacy for Victims of Abuse). She says that, contrary to what victims sometimes believe, domestic abuse is not about an angry person losing their temper and lashing out at their spouse. Rather, it is a pattern of behaviors that people use to establish dominance in their relationships. "The common denominator is that it's about having power and control over another human being," she says. "It's not about anger management—often you see that the person can manage that anger when they're in social situations. It's not about drugs, alcohol, genetics, biology, out-of-control behavior, or stress—it is about having power and control over another human."
You don't deserve that. Maybe they can help.
http://www.covchurch.org/abuse/
God Bless and Protect You.
