Heaven's Family Magazine
March 2016 Issue

Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry

Special Issue: 2015 Ministry Directors' Report

Carole Collins, Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry

A joyful and redeemed Safi (a rape victim treated at our WoW Center in the city of Goma, DR Congo) and her beautiful baby, Placide

The dead don’t smile. Neither did Safi, who felt dead on the inside.

Most of the women who arrive at the Women of Wellness (WoW) Center in the city of Goma, DR Congo, look and feel just like Safi; broken and numb. So when Safi walked into the center with that same look, her story wasn’t hard to guess.

Safi was yet another tragic victim of rape, a common weapon of war used by militants pillaging throughout her war-torn homeland. She became pregnant and her husband abandoned her. She survived by scavenging. Safi’s deep inner wounds were just as spiritual as they were emotional.

The WoW Center, supported by the Victims of Sexual Violence Ministry, is a refuge for victims of sexual violence and their children that provides food, biblical trauma counseling, and lots of love from the staff and other women who share their horrific experiences. It is in this safe environment that Safi and other women can begin their journey to restoration. A daily meal and snacks for their little ones help revive their deprived bodies. A small clinic in the center heals their wounds and other diseases, such as HIV. Literacy and vocational training provide a path to self-sufficiency, which helps restore their dignity and self-respect.

In Kenya we support two Cindi’s Hope academies that take in abused and abandoned children whose injuries require very special care. Once again, it is Christian compassion and God’s love that brings them back to life. For some it takes months, even years, to coax shy smiles and vestiges of confidence from damaged spirits.

The loving persistence of dedicated staff, coupled with a steady diet of good nutrition, bring a rebirth of exuberance to these precious ones. The gift of a new playground, made possible by a generous gift from a Heaven’s Family supporter, has further added to the joy that is now revisiting their faces.

Safi now smiles freely too—a gift made possible by our generous supporters. We are profoundly grateful, and thank you for enabling us to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus—and you—on behalf of those who have known so much suffering.

Help meet the needs and provide healing for victims of sexual violence

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This Month's Articles

Heaven's Family's Compassion Club

Jesus so clearly described His true followers in Matthew 25:31-46. They are “sheep,” whose love for Him is revealed by their sacrifices for the “least of these.” The “sheep” are contrasted with the “goats,” who may even call Him “Lord,” but who don’t really love Him, as revealed by their lack of compassion for those within whom He lives.

Jesus’ true sheep are born again and transformed by the Holy Spirit. They want to serve Jesus every moment of their lives. They are filled with His love. They’re not “Sunday Christians.”

Heaven’s Family’s Compassion Club is a wonderful means for Christ’s followers to demonstrate their love for Jesus every day through the very means He taught—by serving the “least of these.”

Continue reading at HeavensFamily.org/cc

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