Offering Healing and Hope
There was once a little girl named Vanessa.
I wish I could tell you a happy story about her.
Even if she simply had an ordinary childhood, it would have been better. Better than what really happened….
Vanessa’s life was painful. For long periods of her life, she was cruelly neglected. When she wasn’t abandoned to fend for herself, she was severely abused, in ways so awful, I won’t even repeat them.
Today, Vanessa is a young woman. She has no fond memories of Christmas. No nostalgic longing for “home.” Because “home” is where the bad stuff happened.
Over the years, she could only cope by suppressing the memories, pushing them deeper and deeper into the shadows of her psyche. Vanessa was left unhealed. So her victimization became a chronic condition. Knowing no other way, she staggered in and out of vicious relationships.
She barely knew the meaning of “home” … barely knew the meaning of “hope.” But there was a place where she could experience both.
I believe it was God who led Vanessa to us.
When she finally arrived at our door, she was desperately weary. She hardly knew how to ask for help. But thanks to the generous support of caring friends like you, we were able to welcome her into our one-on-one mentoring program.
She was battling depression. Her anxieties clung to her fiercely. But we entered her world softly, and a loving mentor began journeying with her faithfully, quietly.
Days, weeks, months unfolded … The mentoring process shone the bright light of truth and love into the dark recesses of Vanessa’s pain. And along the way, the layers of the past gradually began to peel away.
Vanessa engaged in more and more of what Hope Women’s Center had to offer her — programs made possible through your faithful support. It’s remarkable to see what kinds of activities and strategies connect with various women here. Each heart, each mind, comes from a different place, so each healing process is unique.
So it happens that it was line-dancing therapy that delighted Vanessa most of all! It’s a fun, healthy outlet for her, as she continues to heal. Meanwhile, she encourages other women in our programs … These are the times that have most helped her regain her balance, and find a sense of purpose.
You’ve heard it said, “There’s no place like home.” We’ve also learned to say, “There’s no place like hope.” This is where Vanessa finds herself today … in a place of hope, at a place called Hope. One-on-one mentoring, group classes, and a wide variety of community activities and opportunities have given her — like so many others, down through the years — a source of encouragement … learning … and inspiration.
This is why I am so confident in asking for your most generous possible Christmas gift today … because we know what a beautiful, transformative impact your compassionate giving can make in the lives of women like Vanessa.
I don’t believe the Baby arrived in that manger, 2,000 Christmases ago, so that people could go on suffering. I believe Jesus came to offer healing and hope. And as you give to Hope Women’s Center, you offer His healing and hope — in myriad ways.
Would you please give a special gift today, to help us finish 2019 strong, and enter the New Year at full strength, for the sake of the women who will turn to us for help in the days to come?
I urge you to be extra-generous because Arizona law provides a credit for contributions made to Hope Women’s Center: up to $400 filing singly, $800 married. Give any donation up to the maximum, keep a written receipt of your gift for your records (no need to itemize), and use code 20256 when submitting your tax credit.
Thank you for being such a friend. I am grateful that you are in partnership with us, for this worthy cause, and for this proven-effective ministry. I look forward to hearing from you soon … and I wish you a blessed Christmas!
Offering help and hope,
Tammy Abernethy
Executive Director/CEO
P.S. Starting over is part of a survivor’s story. It requires patience, persistence, and a hopeful perspective. That’s what women in crisis can find, here at Hope — but it all begins with you. You make it possible, through your compassionate giving. Thank you again. God bless you!
