Sledgehammer: An Acres of Hope Series - part 3

Is not my word like a fire the Lord's declaration like a sledgehammer that pulverizes a rock. Jeremiah 23:29

"I can now see I was always meant to be free! I don't know how I ever allowed the darkness of this world to snuff out my hope. Yet I have hope now, Acres of Hope. I can no longer dwell behind the walls of my past trauma, addictions, brokenness and fear. It is time to tear down the wall and never look back. The cycle of homelessness has been broken. My family is safe, and we can move forward into a life renewed by the transformation that has happened at Acres of Hope."                A Woman of Acres of Hope

The mother loaded with guilt and shame, silenced by fear and doubt now stands tall. The child who would duck behind a chair hoping not to be seen can no longer wait to be held and comforted in love and attention. The moment freedom sprouts forth for Acres of Hope families, is the instant they decide they don't want to return back to the patterns they have held in the past. The bricks of trauma that hardened their hearts were let go. The walls built up to protect them from the dangers of life they no longer hide behind. Now it is time to tear them down. They are tearing through the doubts and dysfunction like sledgehammers to a brick wall. Each opportunity to succeed and move forward is another swing at the pain they have faced in their lives.

The provisions supplied at Acres of Hope are multiple sledgehammer swings to the walls that hid the wonderful women and children of Acres of Hope. The cottage homes provided for 2 years to Acres of Hope families are a swing at instability. The counseling provided is a swing at emotional wounds and trauma being passed on to the next generation. The provision of quality childcare, is a swing at children being placed in unsafe circumstances or environments. A community of loving support and accountability is a swing at being surrounded by negative influences and potential dangers. Each day Acres of Hope is equipping women and children to take Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional sledgehammers to the walls that kept them in the cycle of trauma and homelessness. 

You can be a part of the change for women and children tearing down the walls. 

Visit: acresofhopeonline.org  or Call: 530-878-8030

Bricks: An Acres of Hope Series - part 1

"And I will remove the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh."   Ezekiel 36:26

When a woman and her children arrive at Acres of Hope they are leaving lives of trauma, fear, and homelessness. Each area of trauma is like a brick placed into the hands of a woman or child. Like the formation of a brick, a soft material that faces the fire to become hardened, the circumstances that these families have faced were experiences that hardened their hearts. These stone hearts allowed them to be strong through their pain as they walked through the fires of life. They have experienced feeling the heaviness that comes from a life without relief. The first slap across her face, was a brick. The child going to the empty refrigerator looking for food, was a brick. The first hand out offering drugs to an overwhelmed mother, was a brick. Each brick was stored as a memory of what hardened a flesh beating heart.

At Acres of Hope women and children are learning to put the bricks down. They are allowing their hearts to soften again. With each encouragement and hug that comes from a staff or volunteer, the warmth of love fills their hardened hearts. The more an Acres of Hope family experiences the stability and security of having a home, healthy food, and care, the more the guards began to come down.  Acres' staff is trusted inside as they know we see what has hardened their hearts. We will walk with them through the valleys of facing the traumatic experiences. We will help pull up the roots, the legacies, and scars of dysfunction and brokenness. Instead of running from those areas of pain, women and children can now face those areas with the support they need to overcome.

At Acres of Hope families are offered counseling, mentorship, accountability, and the comfort they need to walk through the darkest memories of their lives, and come out with a softened heart and a new perspective of who they are, and what they can be.  When they are ready, the mothers of Acres of Hope share the timelines of their lives with their new community of "sisters" they reveal the many areas that proved to be a traumatic moments stored up in their lives. They take responsibility for their actions, and release themselves from the shame of things out of their control. It is the point in time that they realize they can let the bricks to go, and instead give themselves the freedom to feel again. 

To learn more about the process of transformation for families at Acres of Hope

visit: acresofhopeonline.org or call: 530-878-8030

Be sure to read the next story of hope in this series called "The Wall"

Hope Looks Like This

"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."   Jeremiah 29:11

     The seasons have been changing, and the flowers are showing their lovely petals around campus. There is hardly anything more beautiful than the sun setting between the cottages, as if Thomas Kinkade himself set his paintbrush to work right here on the Acres of Hope property. Yet, there is something so magnificent that outweighs it all. It's the moment a gleam shines through a mother's eyes. The second when her squeal reveals what hope looks like. The precious moment when a mother of Acres of Hope beams at her child in delight because she is doing the hard work of becoming a strong mother. It is the glorious glimpse of a paper waving through the air, due to a driver's license being attained. The sweetest of sounds, is the rejoicing of a mom who has done the hard work of learning skills to gain employment and lands her first job.

     Moments like these at Acres of Hope reveal the true beauty of what hope looks like. The greatest moments are when the deep love sinks into a heart who has needed it so much. The wonderful staff and volunteers who can show a heart battered by the world that there is a love that can heal. Hope looks like this.

    Each day at Acres of Hope we see the beauty of renewed and transformed lives. New families have come into Acres of Hope and the tide of renewal is set to move their transformed families into the next phase of their lives. They have left the broken road of their past lives forever and have paved a new path to their future.  As we witness another graduation, we see what hope looks like through the eyes of one of our Moms. She has done the hard work to transform. She has a great job, beautiful thriving children, and is again a part of a wonderful community of supporters. As she walks with her children across the bridge to their future, she stands strongly as a woman who has broken the cycle of homelessness. Hope looks like this!

To see what hope looks like up close and personal come for a tour of Acres of Hope

Call Acres Today: at 530-878-8030      Visit Online:  acresofhopeonline.org

The Second Time Around

"See, I am doing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." Isaiah 43:19

        Something new has been happening at Acres of Hope. The women have a gleam in their eyes. The children squeal with glee. Morning devotion time is filled with stories of renewal. New goals are being set. Flowers are blossoming, and children are too. Kids once crawling are now taking their first steps. Kids once drinking milk are now beginning to chew. Moms once fearful are now diving deep into the process of transformation. New families have arrived, as others prepare to graduate. Graduates have already blossomed and returned to society benefiting their communities as successful women and mothers.

         Lives are transforming right before our eyes. God is producing a great harvest here at Acres of Hope. The most beautiful thing of all is our women are getting second chances. They are seeing the world from a different perspective. A woman who once craved a six pack of beer, is now bringing her child six packs of banana milk.  The mom who once thought she was alone, now has a large loving community surrounding her. The child who only could express anger is learning to use his words. Most importantly hearts that never knew God, are coming to understand who He is. 

       As our Acres of Hope families begin to face the world again through the eyes of renewal, they will approach it different. This second time around they know they have community, accountability, support and love. They have the tools they need to succeed. They have an anchor for their souls. God is doing a new thing at Acres of Hope, and the second time around will be better than before.

Acres of Hope - breaking the cycle - the last program these families will ever need.

Visit: acresofhopeonline.org

To learn about opportunities to serve call: 530-878-5030

An Acres of Hope Easter Prayer

  On this Easter day as we sit and remember,

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ and his invitation to bring us back home forever.

The Father sent his Son to be the Hope for the World.

He suffered, and He died, from what the enemy hurled.

On the third day He rose, from the stone cold tomb.

Resurrected is He, God who became flesh from the virgin's womb. .

Into a place of honor, where no more sorrows or suffering exists.

Seated at the right hand of the Father, as He continues to offer his gift. 

Each day He calls and beckons, and each day there is  a choice.

Whether we will listen to the world or follow after His voice. 

Today our prayer is earnest, for all who seek renewed lives.

We pray they would answer the invitation to meet Jesus in the sky.

We pray  for an acceptance of God's pure and perfect love. 

The source of true transformation, everyday we've been speaking of. 

Thank you for your sacrifice Lord, your grace and your love.

This is our Easter Prayer,  our Glorious Lord above. 

Happy Easter from Acres of Hope!! 

For more stories of Hope visit: acresofhopeonline.org

The Valley of Pain: The Journey out of Fight or Flight

Run faster than ever before, as far as my legs will take me!  Where I'm going, I don't know. Away from these feelings, nightmares, and fears. Am I running or am I frozen? 

Am I still breathing, or am I gasping for air?

My wounds have been reopened, my walls torn down, my open flesh beating heart has been aired out to the world, and I stand here soaked in tears.  Stricken by grief, all I want to do is feel numb again.  

Should I stay and fight or should I run?

Acres of Hope has surrounded me in love, encouragement and support. I realize that I am safe now, and encouraged that maybe this time things will be different. Perhaps, this time I can break down these walls. God help me.

As peace sweeps over me, I can see staff beckoning me on. My peers sitting with me to help slow down my quickened pace. It's time to move forward, though I am so afraid. It's time to face the areas I have left untouched. Now is the moment to put down the gloves from the places I've wanted to fight.

Stop Running, Stop Fighting. Start Breathing.

Real healing begins when a woman can learn to stop running from her pain. They begin working through issues and learn to avoid the instinctual fight and flight reactions. The women at Acres of Hope face, embrace, and walk through their sufferings with mentors and counselors who love them. In these "valleys of pain" the purest of gifts are produced. They learn to have compassion for others, gain courage, and joyous love is grown. Life is full of sunshine, happiness, rest, and peace, but there is also struggle, hardship and pain.  Don't run from it, embrace that part of your life too. There are beautiful things to be found in the Valley of Pain.

Each day at Acres of Hope lives are being renewed. Women who have been traumatized and lived in fear are breaking off old patterns to walk the path of transformation. This change happens through God's tender comfort and the workers he has sent to be his hands and feet in this physical world. 

Pray for the families of Acres of Hope as they walk through the Valley of Pain and continue on down the path of Renewal and Hope. 

For more Stories of Hope visit: acresofhopeonline.org

Learning to Live: An Alumni of Hope

If you were to meet strong, independent, and beautiful 34 year old Nichole today, you would never suspect that she was a graduate of Acres of Hope just a few short years ago. Nichole came to Acres of Hope in 2013 with the desire to learn to LIVE.  "If I hadn't come to Acres of Hope, I wouldn't be alive today", Nichole shared.

Before coming to the program Nichole didn't know how to raise her children. Growing up, Nichole did not have responsible parents, which left her feeling unable and ill-equipped to raise her own children.  Besides not knowing some of the basics of life, like cooking and cleaning, she didn't feel that she knew how to love her kids. She even struggled when it came to letting her children touch or even hug her. 

As Nichole went through her days at Acres of Hope, she went from looking at the calendar and saying, "Good, I made it through another day" to truly embracing life.  Nichole was being transformed and found restoration with her children. As she worked on the external things like learning to cook, clean, and be a responsible woman, she discovered things were also transforming internally.  By the time she graduated in March of 2015, she sought out the hugs, kisses, and special time spent with her children.  She learned to love as she learned to be loveable.

Today Nichole is a wonderful example of a Woman of Hope.  She has a career she enjoys working for the Auburn Journal as a Customer Service Manager. She has an amazing accountability team and a stable place to live. Best of all, she enjoys raising her two amazing boys and showering them in hugs and embracing them in love every day.  You see, at Acres of Hope she didn't just learn to live, she learned to thrive. 

Nichole did not remain feeling dead inside. She learned what it is to live and love with Hope. 

To get involved helping women like Nichole visit: acresofhopeonline.org or call 530-878-8030

Finding Forever: We Became A Family

Psalm 68:6 God sets the orphans into families...

      "I knew I had to be a part of her life. Especially since we had more than enough room for one more".

      Juliette Bickford had no idea that her visit to Acres of Hope would change not just her life but also the future of one of our residents as well. Juliette's first visit to Acres was with her church back in 2014. 2 years later on another visit she got to talk with a young woman named Andrea. The impact of those moments were potent upon her heart. She spoke with her husband and then her kids about Andrea. The family decided it was time to give Andrea a hopeful future in a family. Juliette committed to visiting, mentoring, most importantly being a Mom to Andrea. This is something Andrea has always wanted and needed.

      Andrea who is a recent graduate of Acres of Hope was a former foster child. When Juliette came to visit that fateful day, a staff member told her, "Andrea is a wonderful girl with a beautiful heart and all she really needs now is a family". "I have a heart that loves to help others, and I love being a mom so we welcomed her in", Juliette shared.

      The impact for the Bickford's and Andrea has been amazing. Juliette's children have learned that there are realities in the world unlike the safety and love they have known. It has made them want to make a difference in the world for kids without families. Andrea and her daughter now have family, and permanent support. Most importantly the love that has grown through the grafted family is a revelation that God truly does place the orphans into families.

       Juliette thought she was just coming for a tour and to share resources back in 2014. But God had other plans. He wanted to bring together people who would love and support one another. 

There are ways that you can be involved in the lives of our families at Acres of Hope

1. Become a Mentor for a Mom

2. Become an Angel Grandma or Grandpa to our youth

3. Become an Adoptive Family to our Mom's and their children

To learn more visit: acresofhopeonline.org  or call: 530-878-8030

Every Success Story Starts With A Dream

She opens her eyes. Like crystals glistening beneath the noon day sun, the sparkle of hope breaks through. The reality of all she can be sets itself deep within her heart. It's an anthem that her past, her former fears, and pain can no longer silence. Her transformation is apparent. Her renewal is intriguing to those still lost. She pulls out her list that she has been marking off. Education, check. Job, check.  Kids reunified, check. Record expunged, check. As she looks down at her list she releases the deepest of sighs. She has done it; she has worked the process. She has fought the good fight. She will graduate from Acres of Hope. She walks over to her bed and listens to the sounds of her children playing. Seeing their mother resting, the children run and leap into her arms. She looks at each of them and whispers with hope in her heart, our dreams are now a reality. 

Become a part of making dreams a reality visit: acresofhopeonline.org or call 530-878-8030

An Acres of Hope Story: Unchained, She's Free

The sound of the chains striking the ground
         Is the war cry of freedom from what kept her bound

                             She use to know isolation, caged in everyone's secrets
                                   Yet now she runs free, and her joy cant be depleted

Her mouth was sealed
Her heart revealed
Wounds and shadows of a life left unhealed

          Rain soaked her pillow, from storms eyes only could give
                        Her agony left her cold, as she searched for a reason to live

                                              Desperate for solace, a comfort beyond herself
                                                            She sought renewal, and transformation
                                                                     A breaking from her old self

She needed a love that she had never known
           She needed seeds of protection that had never been sown

                              She desired a place that was stable where she could grow
                                 She looked to the Rescuer, crying, tell these chains to let me go

Peace and certainty is what she found
          As the chains began to crumble and they sounded off upon the ground

                 Warriors came forth and fought at her side
            To wage war with the barriers that tried to hold her inside

                                            The barricades that had been built by her pain
                        Also from the shadows she had always known, when she was in chains

Until the day when a sweet soul brought in a light, an ax, and a rope
To cut off the strongholds, bind up her broken heart, and lead her to Acres of Hope

                                      She's free, and she will never be the same.

                                             acresofhopeonline.org

You're Safe: Settling In

         On Saturday the mothers here at Acres of Hope joined together for some quality time. The kids laughed and played. The chores were completed. The air was filled with the smell of brownies. Finally, the group of women gathered in the family room for an inspirational film.

         Glancing around the scene, seeing the contentment on each mother's face was bliss. They have security, warmth, and the ability to know they are safe. At Acres of Hope, mothers come in with stories of pain, abuse, and abandonment. Yet when they arrive at Acres, they receive security, commitment, community, and love. They receive a key to a home they can call their own. They have the basic necessities of life provided, thanks to amazing volunteers and donors like you. Mothers at Acres of Hope receive the support of mentors, counselors, and a staff team that does all they can to come alongside of them. They make sure our families know they are safe, supported, and loved. Accountability helps them move forward in their lives. They are given encouragement for each feat they accomplish.

       Acres of Hope is a safe place for our families to settle in. Thank you for helping Acres of Hope give our residents a hopeful future.

I love you

From the first moment I could hear your heartbeat on the ultra sound

The first time I felt your little foot kick, or saw your little fingers with slobber from your mouth

The first time you smiled at me, the first time you laid on my chest

The first curl of your fingers around mine

The first time my heart raced in worry making sure you were fine

Every detail of your life, matters to me

You are my world

You bring joy into my life, 

You're the reason I'm here, the reason I fight

The reason I chose Acres of Hope

To make sure we would be alright

I love you, from the depths of my heart

With all of my being, 

I will give you my best

I love you

Your Mama Loves You

My Daughter Will Know, An Acres of Hope Story

No one could have known the feeling, the shock, the excitement, the realization, that her life was no longer the same. The moment a mom who has struggled, now overcomes. She wins back custody, wins back the title of full time Mom. "My daughter will know I fought for her" she utters, believing it in her core. Fear has grown silent, and now this new place, of HOPE. Acres of it. Is hope really for me. What do I do now? This is all so new to me, she thinks to herself. Then once again the shock, the shock that God answers prayers. That in doing so the lie that God doesn't care about her is extinguished. The fact that she has people fighting on her behalf and speaking of her character and integrity, overwhelms her. But she is reminded to sit back, enjoy the moment, and take it in. Hold onto the good, hold onto the truth, that God cares about his children. That she can have a Hope Unleashed. 

I believe hope, because I see the fruit of it everyday

acresofhopeonline.org

Common Sense

Many people say that a person may lack common sense. Usually this statement is said when something that seems so simple for a community of people is misunderstood, or lacking for a person who has never been shown. For Example:

A woman who comes in needing help tying her daughters shoes. Tying shoes? Really? However no one knows this young mother has come from a life of neglect and trauma. No one knows that she didn't get freedom until she was an adult. No one knew that she wasn't given shoes until she left the abuse. People might say that's impossible, I can tell you it's true. 

The woman who doesn't know how to file taxes, 

The one who doesn't know how to do hair,

The one who has never cooked or even made a pb and j sandwich

The one who doesn't know how to properly take care of her cycle or why it even happens

The ones who don't know how to raise a child, because they were not properly raised themselves.

The ones who don't know how to live outside of abuse because no one ever told them they were worth more.

The ones who struggle to leave drugs, because it is the only peace they've known.

The ones who return to abuse for love, because it is the only love they've felt. 

Common Sense, isn't common sense if the common reality, you come from, does not match the common reality someone else comes from.

Here at Acres of Hope, we have figured that out. 

At Acres we get to see what the world calls common sense, is not the reality for thrivers and survivors of life's hardknocks. You might look at them and think this is common sense, Yet from their viewpoint they might say the same about you, in the cases of their reality. 

Common Sense is defined as- good sense and sound judgment in practical matters.

These Moms have gone through the School of the Hard Knocks, their practical hasn't been the same as someone going through life with healthy relationships, stability, and strong support. It is now they are learning about the common world outside of the life of abuse, neglect, drugs, homelessness, and a lack of love. So sometime soon what we call common sense, they too will be able to say the same.

I'm Just Searching for Love: Faith, A Woman of Hope

A childhood taken due to tragic circumstances. Her father died early in her life. Her mother was an addict. She shuffled through homes. She eventually did a short stint with a family member, but then was placed in the foster care system. She remained in the custody of the courts until she graduated from Juvenile Hall. There were chronic abuses - emotional, physical and sexual, which led to a woman full of rage. She didn't have love for anyone (especially herself) and she was unable to feel love from anyone. She grew up without hope, and felt neglected. 

She was hurting so much, but didn't know how to grieve the loss of her innocence. Any ability to be vulnerable or trusting had been squashed. Faith had been sold for drugs, and believed she was worthy of no more. She attempted suicide multiple times, and was passed around several foster homes.

As she continued to rage, she took it out on those around her. Creating more havoc, she fueled the cycle of abuse, distrust and neglect.  Faith began to run away from her foster homes.  She didn't want to be alone, so she ran to her biological mom.  Despite the horrors of her early childhood, she wanted a relationship with her mom. She just wanted her mother's love.  So the cycle continued.

As a foster youth, she received a grant and walked through the doors of college. She did not finish. Instead she met her husband, who was also a resident in Juvenile Hall.  This relationship led to a life of partying. She got pregnant and had her first son. She raised her son alone the first 6 months of his life while his dad was in prison. When her husband got out of jail they built a relationship but it wasn't the same.

Meth was introduced, and it was like a monster came out. Physical and psychological abuse began.  Although Faith was terrified, she endured the abuse as fair trade for the few times he said he loved her. She had never known a love that was good.

Her husband was going in and out between jail stints when she became pregnant with her second son and Faith went to a domestic violence shelter. She felt a little bit of security going to the shelter, but she would go back and forth between the shelter and returning back to the abuse.

Finally, after another attempted suicide, Faith asked her husband's parents to help with the children. But she still didn't know what to do, and Faith started her journey of alcoholism as she went searching once again for a love she never truly felt.

Still searching for that love, Faith was led into the arms of another man. But her estranged husband grew jealous and beat her so badly that she ended up in the hospital where she found out she was once again pregnant.

When Faith got out of the hospital, her new boyfriend had gone to prison, and she found herself homeless again. On the streets, while her children where staying with grandparents, she was feeling the agony of the lack of love in her life. She was hopeless and lost. One day at 8 months pregnant, Faith prayed, "God help me get my family back." That night she ended up in the hospital for her gall bladder. During the stay in the hospital she reached out to a residential program. During the treatment at the recovery center she decided she wanted to change her life. So she went searching for that change online, and she found Acres of Hope. Faith says, "Acres of Hope has helped her to remain sober, get her boys back, disconnect from unhealthy relationships." She is paying off restitution, and working to get licensed.

Faith has been learning to love herself, she feels loved, cared about, and has support. Faith shares Ephesians 6:8, "to be strong in the Lord", which is the verse she clings too. She has been able to build close, trusting relationships, and see life in a new way. Acres of Hope inspires her daily to be the woman she was made to be.

Faith is very lovable, and she is a Woman of Hope who is radiating a new found love.

visit: acresofhopeonline.org
call: 530-878-8030
to share your story of hope email Jackie Turner @
jackie@acresofhopeonline.org

I Will Not Pass The Torch

When a leader who has gone before is about to move on, or relinquish there duties to the next generation of leaders, a ceremony may be conducted called Passing the Torch. The next generation receives the responsibility of carrying on the legacy that has been established. However some legacies should not be passed on. Instead the fire must be put out, and a new type of light must erupt. Each day at Acres of Hope women are seeking to tear down strongholds, and build up new ways to live. They are seeking to pass on to their children new legacies, new hopes, and the fullness of life in ways they may not have received themselves. We are proud of the Moms who show up each day and fight to live different lives than what they have seen, lived, or been given. It takes courageous women to do what they are doing each day.

I Believe In Hope

I didn't know where to turn

 I didn't know where to go

Is there anyone I can lean on

Or am I all alone

I'm doing all that I can just to get through today

We've gone to the shelter but were turned away

There's not enough room, and how can I change

In 24 hours with no stability I can maintain

Somehow I believe in Hope

That there is a place for me

A place for my child where we can be free

A place where we can go

Where we won't be alone

Facing the cold

There's got to be

A place we can call home

I was told of a place called Acres of Hope

Where we I can build my family

No longer will I we be alone

A place where there is food and a place to rest

A place where we can receive love at it's best

God please bring me to the place called Acres of Hope

Where we can be safe, and trust in you alone

For I still believe in hope

For you can set us free

For we've been on our own for so long, I've forgotten what it is to be me

Please take me, take us, to Acres of Hope,

Where we can be the family, you've called us to be

Please

Bring us to Acres of Hope. 

It Takes Courage: To Listen

Coming close enough to hear a story that gives you a behind the scene look into someone's life is important. It can tear down strongholds that come from biases, stereotypes, and the many other things that brings mankind to a place of judgment over what God calls us to, which is discernment, and coming to the aid of those who need our help. The difference between discernment and judgment is discernment is the ability to analyze with the intention of bringing forth the best response and circumstance from the knowledge gleaned, judgment is the ability to gain knowledge in order to criticize, condemn, and tear down. Many people hold judgments without ever coming close enough to get the behind the scenes tales. There are so many people I have come across in my life who have received judgment before anyone even took time came close to understand the how's and why's a person ended up in the situations they were in. 

The heart who can listen is the heart who can make changes for the better. When one comes close enough to listen they can learn how they can help, why there is a need for help, listening can change lives. 

Many people fear coming close enough to hear hard stories, they fear they cannot fix what has broken a heart, fear it will be to big for them to handle, fear it tearing away at happiness, when in reality to listen is to create intimacy, awareness, and change. 

At Acres of Hope each day we see Workers, Volunteers, Moms coming close enough to listen, to bring change, to bring healing, to show they care. 

In a world who fears listening, may we be a people who will listen. 

To learn more visit: acresofhopeonline.org

It Takes Courage: To Leave

She has heard his promises over and over again. She believed him, she thought he really meant it when he said he loved her, when he said he would never hit her again. Covering up her bruises, as if foundation can hide her story. Looking in the mirror cleaning the blood from her face once again, she asks herself, is this all there is. She sneaks down to the kitchen, stares at the phone, maybe this time she will leave. All it takes is one call, but if she is caught, what will he do? Fear stricken her, she walks quietly back up the stairs. She slips softly into the bed, he asks what was she doing. Just getting water she says, but in her mind, hidden deep in her soul, she says tomorrow is the day. A child sleeping in the room next door, safely tucked away from the harm, but the woman thinks to herself, how long before? The thought is to painful she knows she must do something. He knows her every move, where she will be and when she should be home. She decides at Woman's small group she would slip a note to a friend she has made. Her friend tells her husband, he is the leader of the small groups. Word get's back to the woman's abuser, and her night doesn't get any easier. Never again as she looks in the mirror once more. But yet in the same moment she wonders how much more can I take. What if he goes after my child, he has threatened to before. She says I cannot wait another night, I cannot do this anymore. She decides to begin packing, she hides her child's bag beneath the crib. She goes to the laundry room and thanks God that she did her wash this afternoon. She puts just enough to clothe her for a few days, and hides it in the closet closest to the front door. She goes back to the bedroom, and slips softly into bed. She says to herself, it has to be today. She waits til she hears him snoring, she quietly slips out of bed. She grabs her baby from the crib, calls a taxi before slipping out the front door. Her heart is racing, her life in the balance, if she is caught there is no telling what he will do to her, or her baby. With her baby in her arms, and a bag on her shoulder and in hand, she says no more. She walks down the sidewalk, doesn't look back for fear, she will crumble and return. She climbs into the Taxi at 3:45 in the morning, and tells the driver, I need to go to a safe house, for woman who have been abused, the driver looked at her face, saw her bruises for she did not cover them up. He took her to the local fire station and said she needs help. 
She never looked back. As tears fell like bullets from her eyes, and fear slipped away as she began to tell her tale. The first thing the officer told her was, It takes courage to leave!!!

Look for Part 2: It Takes Courage to Speak
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It Takes Courage: For Her To Speak

Her tears spoke louder than words the first time she entered the group. No one could get a word out of her. She had been trapped in silence for years. Those in higher status than herself in society's eyes, were to be at the forefront, and she was just a person in the shadows. She was a lockbox of their secrets, hidden in their dark deeds, she became silenced. From foster home to foster home she took their attacks and carried the shame as if it was always hers to carry. She said to herself, If I speak, more pain will follow, If I speak, no one will listen, If I speak no one will believe. Those who speak get away with their darkness, but me I am a lockbox of the secrets they keep. But then she met a counselor, one who cared about the woman hidden in the shadows, one who heard how great the sounds were of the tears that leaked from her eyes. This counselor told her of freedom, and love, truth that outweighs the dark. The Woman began to have hope. The Counselor told her, true freedom begins when we can set free the things that were never meant to be locked inside. I am here, I will wait with you, I will walk with you, I will listen when you are ready to share your truth. Freedom, the woman thought, as she prayed, God what is this freedom that my counselor speaks about? How do I speak about the horror, how do I unlock the box of secrets others have given to me to keep locked away. What if revealing them, hurts me, what if revealing them brings more shame, what if... But in the stillness of it all, she hears something speak within her heart, that says, What if you can be free of all the shame that was never meant to be yours to carry. SPEAK. The next day she meets with her counselor, and for the first time, she begins to open up about her life, she learns that healthy people don't treat girls the way she had been treated, she learned that the painful things that happened to her were not her fault, and that she was never meant to carry such shame, and secrets. Little by little the woman began to become free. She began to know the truth about her identity, she began to know the truth about her worth. She began to know that she does not have to be silent but rather that she can speak, and tell her story. She can speak, and help others. She can speak and bring God glory. After years had passed and her old Counselor was still teaching people to speak, she came across her once more. The counselor told the woman, You know something, It takes a Woman of Hope and Courage, to Speak about the things you have endured and bring others hope. Go out and help others, Speak!!

Lookout for Part three: It Takes Courage: To Really Listen
 

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