Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 1 Corinthians 1:3-4
The following two-episode story is a powerful example of how your generosity has provided healing and hope to two women like Leah and Kelly. You have made a life-changing difference, and I hope you know how much your gift means to our neighbors in need.
Leah was seven years old when her stepdad set her up on a barstool and ordered her a drink. Her biological father left when she was just a toddler, so this one-on-one time with her stepdad felt special. When he introduced her to his friends at the bar as “his daughter,” she felt affirmed and loved. This would affect the way she sought affirmation for many years. Into her teen and college years, Leah began drinking heavily and leading a promiscuous lifestyle, resulting in an unplanned pregnancy.
She cried out to God, asking him why she was so easily drawn to promiscuity and heavy drinking. In that moment, the Holy Spirit brought to her mind a painful suppressed memory. Her stepdad had sexually abused her as a child. Moreover, several of her siblings had been abused as well.
Realizing these traumatic events was both devastating and eye-opening for Leah—devastating because of the pain but eye-opening because the Holy Spirit used this realization to start a journey of healing for Leah that would have a ripple effect on her family and friends. Her vulnerability created a safe space for others to share about their trauma.
Leah started volunteering with a ministry that provided housing to homeless women and children. Most of the stories of the residents were heartbreaking, and there was one common denominator with all of them: debilitating trauma.
Thanks to your support, Leah’s ministry team went through a Trauma Healing training with World Impact, which was not only healing to them, but also gave them the tools they needed to identify trauma, discern its effects on people’s lives, and walk with them on the path to healing.
Leah was already aware of her own pain and was mindful of the pain of others. The training gave her an accurate framework to help others address trauma and heal from trauma. Leah didn’t realize how much of her story and training would come into play until she began caring for a young mother of six boys named Kelly.
Thanks to you, ministry leaders like Leah received the training they needed to transform their communities! In the next post, we’ll look at how God’s comfort had prepared Leah to comfort Kelly in her suffering.
