“Home is a refuge not only from the world, but a refuge from my worries, my troubles, my concerns.”
–Maya Angelou
When you think of home, what comes to mind? If you grew up in a loving family, perhaps feelings of warmth, joy, and safety flood your mind. For others, the idea of home is unfortunately laced with pain and grief. Many survivors of sex trafficking resonate with this, as home is not associated with a place of refuge. Some survivors first experienced brokenness in their home at a young age and others had no place to call home as an adult.
While every survivors’ story is unique, a common experience is that home is a place where love is not easily accessible, emotions are not freely welcome, and all-encompassing support is not near. Maybe you have grown up in similar circumstances, or can at least imagine what it must feel like to live in this situation daily. This painful reality is in stark contrast to what home should be. Home is the very heart of God, as Jesus Himself says He is preparing a place for us–a home where we will dwell in His presence forever.
Outside of this eternal home that we anticipate, Psalm 19:1-2 (NIV) also says,
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
So perhaps, a true home is not just a place for us to lay our heads at night, but the very presence of God made manifest as a refuge for each of us.
This realization is exactly why Catalyst Ministries steps in to change the meaning of the word home for survivors. Founder Julie Ryan recognized that survivors of sex trafficking not only deserve the opportunity to re-write their stories, but they also deserve a place to call home as they do so. This is the reason that Catalyst Ministries takes on a holistic approach to healing that includes welcoming our residents into a restoration home. Our Illinois restoration home (Catalyst Farms) was established in 2017, and we are currently working to make our second restoration home (Catalyst Ranch) a reality in Texas.
In the coming days, survivors in Texas will be welcomed into a new home filled with love, intentional care, and the presence of the Lord. These women will be reminded daily of how deeply they are loved as they step across a carefully laid brick path engraved with the names of individuals, families, and businesses* who have generously sowed into the home they will be living in. Here, in this new home, they will find the space to grieve, to laugh, to cry, to rest, and most importantly, to heal. New memories, restored hope, and family in Christ will be made within these four walls. Life begins to look different for our residents when they know they are deeply loved by the Lord, their Catalyst family, and community.
As these precious women take strides towards a new life, their steps become lighter as they walk in and out of their new home. For the first time in a long time or maybe ever at all, home is a place of refuge and shelter for them, where they are able to rest in the fact that they are cherished and loved beyond measure. Would you be a part of this redemption story in the lives of our residents? It is through your generosity that our residents will have the opportunity to start afresh and experience physical, emotional and spiritual transformation. Will you welcome her home? Click here to donate today and help her experience the refuge she deserves!
—Kelsey
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9
*Brick name engravement applies to those who donated to our matching gift program.