Redemption

Redemption

In July of 2017, Atlanta Redemption Ink was launched so the redemption Jessica* found when she covered her trafficker’s logo with a new tattoo could be shared with countless others.

* Her real name is used with permission.

Over 160

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13 Responses to Redemption

  • Jessica, so glad you got your tattoo covered. I had my property tattoo removed a couple years ago. It was a long process, but so worth it. It was freeing! So glad you were set free by God’s overcoming love! Blessings to you!

  • Maureen, thank you for sharing your experiences. So glad you were able to be free and experience freedom through the removal. Praying blessings over you!!

  • This is something that I never thought about. I can’t imagine the nightmare this brings to everyone. I hope more attention will be brought to this to stop it.

  • Jessica,

    I’ve read your story a few times now and each time it hits me harder— you are such a brave and inspiring woman! Thank you for your honesty and vulnerability in sharing your story. I wish you and your family the best!

    Kit

  • Wow. As the mother of two young girls this story scared the hell out of me. To think they could innocently go on a job interview and end up essentially kidnapped is terrifying. And they say Atlanta is a major hub for human trafficking. Terrifying. This story should be given to everyone who escapes so they can see the redemption and hope. Amazing.

  • Jessica ,

    Unbelievable! Your story is powerful! Surviving your nightmare is definite proof that God has great plans for you. I admire your courage in allowing your story to be told. I’m personally familiar with some of your struggles and know others who have faced similar life threatening situations. I hate hate hate that you have seen such darkness but am encouraged to know that your overcomer story is going to impact lives for Jesus.

    Diane

  • Jessica, I am so proud of you. You have found how to take some of the most challenging times in your life into something so beautiful. I appreciate you sharing your story for others who may need to hear it. You are a blessing in so many ways. Overcomes United is an amazing group and you have made it even better. Welcome!!!

  • Wow! Your story is so timely. My radio station is supporting this very cause right now. I’m so glad you were able to overcome this horrific event and put your talent into God’s hands. I know He is going to bless you for the work you do. You are amazing! God bless.

  • Jessica, what a strong young woman you are to be able to overcome all of this! I know you could not have gotten out of the abuse without God’s help. I’m so glad you knew that’s who you had to turn to. He was just waiting for you to ask. God is so good and I am sure he will continue to bless you in your work.

  • Thank you everyone for your kind words, support and love.

  • Wow. I cannot believe all that you endured by the time you were 23. Thank you for bravely sharing your testimony. You have opened up my eyes more to sex trafficking. It’s so sad how common it is. I bet by sharing your story you are saving lives. So happy of where you are now. You are a true overcomer.

  • Princess Jessica. I’m so proud of you! More importantly, Jesus is proud of you!! May you always walk in the knowledge of your royalty.

  • I never would have thought or considered. Thank you Jessica for being willing to share your heart!!!

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A No Casserole Illness, Part 2

A No Casserole Illness, Part 2

If you haven’t read part 1 of Diane’s story, please read it here first. Three years after her official diagnosis, Diane experienced a turning point in her journey with bipolar disorder. She made a decision that would change how she

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0 Responses to A No Casserole Illness, Part 2

  • Thank you both for sharing Diane’s story. It’s powerful and will help many people just because you had the courage to fight and not give up. Mental illness and suicide impacts everyone because it’s ether happened to you, a family member, school or work acquaintance, or a friend, so it’s critically important to start treating mental illness like physical illness. If you’re sick – seek help – no matter what it is. So glad you kept fighting for help, and then had the fortutude and kindness to share your story. Thank you!

  • I’ve always said nobody brings a casserole when people have a child with a drug addiction and you are so right about it being the same for mental illness. I admire Diane for sharing her story so openly. I hope not having to keep what she is experiencing a secret allows her to receive more compassion and support when needed. I know it will certainly help others to know her story and I hope the stigma of Bipolar can be erased very soon so others can feel the freedom to share as well. I think it was great the way you included the details of treatment. Although everyone is different, you often just assume help will be trying medication after medication that probably won’t be effective. It’s good information to share what alternative treatments could be. Thanks for sharing!

  • Diane EVERYTHING about your story inspires me! I’m so very thankful you shared!!

  • Brooke, what you shared is profound. Mental illness does not discriminate between gender, political stance, race . . . Everyone is affected in some form or fashion by mental illness. I have been so blessed to have a support network that has worked really hard to understand bipolar and how it affects me specifically. My desire is to speak out for those suffering in silence until those who are suffering can speak out for themselves.

  • Thank you for bringing to my attention the hard fact that there is little to no support for families affected by substance abuse. It’s a difficult journey for both the caretaker and the one with the disease. I was in treatment with so many ladies in recovery for drugs and alcohol and I witnessed their struggles up close and personal. It’s not pretty but I applaud those who get up and persevere.

    Thank you for the encouragement regarding my personal journey with bipolar. It helps give me strength to push thru the tougher times.

  • Your words blessed my soul I know that you are all to familiar with the journey. Please know that each time you come to mind I send a prayer up on your behalf. Can’t wait to meet face to face one day.

  • Diane
    Thanks for sharing your story with so much transparency! You are an overcomer. Such a beautiful family. Blessings

  • Laura
    Goins
    June 30, 2018
    6:35 pm
    Reply

    Diane so proud of
    you for sharing your
    story. I feel like the
    little sister. You have
    come so much farther
    than me in such a short time. Love you I have more knowledge about
    our fighting this battle.
    Love you sweet sister.
    L

  • Maureen, thanks for taking the time to read a ‘No Casserole Ilness’ . Transparency for me has been a work in progress. I desire to help pave the wave in reducing stigma in the church. Thanks for your encouraging words.

  • Laura, thank you for commenting on the article.. you are definitely the big sister. You have paved the way for me. It was your encouragement early on in my diagnosis that brought me to a place of excepting my diagnosis. From there I became vocal about mental illness. What I love about your journey is your passion for Jesus. Without Jesus we are doomed. You have modeled that thinking and behavior for me. I love you big sister! Hope to see you soon!

  • Diane,
    I appreciated you sharing your story and all that God is doing in your life, through the blessings of a wonderfully loving and supportive family, throughout the wealth of knowledge gained in your experiences overcoming, learning, as, you have disciplined yourself with Jesus’s power that you so correctly say and I quote you, “we are doomed without” ……..
    I grew up with mental illness with my oldest brother in the 50′ and 60’s when the stigma was more intense so, I relate to all you said.
    I look forward to meeting you one day. Blessings and prayers for you and yours, Ann

  • Amelia Ann,

    I apologize for not getting back with you sooner. Honestly, I thought I did reply. Anyway, thank you so much for your encouragement You definitely understand my journey because up close and personal experience with your brother. Yes, stigma was so much greater in the 50’s and 60’s. Still today mental illness is not viewed as an illness like a “physical” illness. Suicide is a selfish act rather than a product of the illness. I too look forward to meeting one day soon! Thanks again!

  • This is such a difficult situation that is overlooked so many times. Hopefully it will become visible more often and more quickly.

  • This disease has been put under the rug too often. Hopefully it is more in the light now.

  • Diane,

    Thanks for sharing! You’re truly an overcomer, an inspiration to many.

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A No Casserole Illness, Part 1

A No Casserole Illness, Part 1

“When I was finally ready to share my diagnosis of bipolar disorder with the church, I was told it was probably not a good idea to go public with it. That same day, the wife of a male church member

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9 Responses to A No Casserole Illness, Part 1

  • Diane, I am grateful for your story. Thank you for being so transparent. I have watched my dad suffer all my life with severe depression. I, too have felt like why is no one praying for him and coming to visit him and encourage him from the church? I have come off a season of supprsssed anger that turned into depression. I felt lost and isolated. I thought the same thing you did – when you have cancer everyone rallies around you. Depression is a cancer of the mind and soul and it is lonely and isolating. I agree that we need to keep bringing these stories to the forefront and the church must be there for sufferers. Praying for you! I’m here for whatever you need. Love, Holli

    • Holli, I’m so sorry to hear about the lack of support your dad has received. It’s unfortunate that your dad along with countless others suffer in silence.

      Well said, “Depression is a cancer of the mind and soul”.. I’m also sorry to read that you too have suffered from depression. It’s a very isolating and lonely disease. I’ would make you a casserole but I don’t cook. I will commit to pray for both you and your dad.

  • I have no answers for how to be there for those who battle, I have not done this well on any level. I fear the space I felt this dear friend was asking for actually sent a message that I didn’t care. She is a precious gift to all who know her and I could not be prouder of how she is giving life to so many others by giving the gift of going first.

  • Diane – I have no doubt God is supremely pleased with you. Like a proud father watching his child take the next difficult step towards healing and progress, God knows the faith it’s taken for you not to abandon your faith and to share your story. Your story will be a powerful tool He uses to soothe, heal and restore so many who share your struggle. As Christians our hope is in God’s ability to make something beautiful from our pain if we’ll let ourselves be used. Thank you for being a willing vessel through which he can touch so many.

  • Thank you so much for your encouragement. I’ve learned with my daily challenges that this illness and most others are not possible without God. The struggles are not pretty but like you said God has a way of making them beautiful.

  • Tami,

    Your reply to this post speaks volumes about your love for me. I am grateful for the prayers you have offered up on my behalf and the challenges of others you may know. We are not all called to be in the trenches of the illness but to pray for peace and hope for those of us who plummit into the pits of darkness. I would not be here today if it weren’t for God’s grace and the prayers of those around me.

  • I was told by a church member that my depression was due to the fact that I had a weak faith and did not trust Jesus enough. Needless to say-I stopped talking to her. I can so relate to the world being in color again. With my medication-the world is in color and I feel like I am standing on level ground. Without it I feel like I am in a dark hole struggling to see the light at the top of the hole, scraping and fighting to get back onto level ground. Post partum depression hit after my second child and the violent death of my brother in law. This affected my husband and my mother in law so dramatically-naturally. I have tried over the years to stop taking medication. I had a pastor tell me that if I was diabetic I would take my insulin or if I had high blood pressure I would take my medicine. But you are right with the stigma of mental health. No one thinks twice about the diabetic, etc. But mental health is looked at as a weakness, a character flaw. When I counsel patients (I am a nurse practitioner) I will often share that I have depression/anxiety as well. If we DO NOT talk about it as we do other illnesses-we will never change the stigma. So I take my medication. And I don’t worry about it anymore! I get how you feel. Totally.

  • Shannon,

    I totally missed your reply to the no Casserole Illness story. Though the church welcomes “everyone” with open arms, they have a ways to go in their acceptance of mental illness. At least for me ,they are attempting to chisel away at the stigma. Like you, I jump at opportunities to speak on its behalf. Who better to educate others than those of us who suffer. I’m sure you are an encouragement to all you come in contact with. You encouraged me to stay strong in my journey. This stuff ain’t easy!!!

  • May God give you all your needs as you continue to recover.

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10 Responses to From Rubble to Royalty

  • Tammy, I am so sorry for all the abuse you endured. You are an overcomer! Thank you for sharing and shining a light on the injustice of sex trafficking. Blessings!

  • there is a heaven. and then there is a hell – this is the justice for what these men did to her. there is a place in heaven for her final peace

  • Tammy,

    Melony mentioned she had another Overcomer story, and I could tell in my brief conversation with her last night, your story hit her like a semi truck , but I had no idea it was this big. The amount you have overcome is just unbelievable, and your story is full of such intense pain, deceit, loss, confusion, and so much more. I thank you for sharing your story. My niece works with sex trafficking, and I’m going to forward your journey to her. Before my niece got involved in helping women that have been exposed to sex trafficking, I thought it was someone who kidnaps a child, fills them with drugs and sells them as a service. But, as she and you just stated it can be your own family members, or friends, or people you reach out to for help. This was shocking to me, being a mother of a teenage daughter. I think your story, and the hard work my niece does, will help educate everyone. I thank you so much for sharing your journey, as I know it’s a hard thing to do. God has given you a voice to help stop this type of abuse, and for that I’m so grateful. I hope you continue to spread the word of God, and help get this information out to others. You are far more than an overcomer. You are a survivor that has taken something extremely horrific and turned it into a ministry that is just amazing.
    God bless you,
    Angie Thomsen

  • Melony, This is a very powerful testimony about overcoming. Good to know she turned so much evil and wrongdoing into a positive influence in her life. I am very proud of you for taking the time to meet, interview, and share these stories so that other lives can be positively impacted.

    Love,
    Dad

  • Tammy, thank you for sharing your story. I’m happy to hear you have overcome and are helping others. Many blessings!

  • Tammy, thank you being so honest and real as you shared your story. You can inspire many and help many. Your will, faith and determination have gotten you so far and will continue to do so! Many hugs!

  • Tammy, just the fact that you can profess faith in God is a miracle. You are one of his most precious, beautiful, effective assets to bring victims His peace and comfort, and you are inspirational to the rest of us. Let me never complain nor wallow in self pity about my own mountains. For you are my new benchmark!! May God keep you and bless you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you forever. Amen.

  • Tammy, your story is one of innocence stolen and unrecoverable, yet you have allowed that part of you that remained tender and unsullied to be exposed and vulnerable enabling you to be a bearer of light, reaching into the darkness and making a way where there was no way for others to escape an otherwise inescapable pit of despair.

  • Dear Tammy your story brought me to tears. With what you have been through I would say you are the strongest person I have ever known. I’m so proud of you for just continuing to do the things that you needed to do to defeat this cycle. You are absolutely amazing

  • This situation is so sad. It is scary to know how much of this there is. Hopefully things will be better in the very near future.

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An Orphan Heart

An Orphan Heart

 

Maureen while in the gang

Maureen while in the gang

Studies are replete linking gang involvement with children from dysfunctional families. Gangs prey on individuals who lack self-esteem, strong father figures, and family closeness.

Looking back, Maureen* agrees she fit the profile to a

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6 Responses to An Orphan Heart

  • This is a testimony that would be beneficial to so many woman. Thank you for sharing.

  • Knowing several young girls who are in similar situations, this story gives me renewed hope for them! Thank you for sharing your life story!

  • Isn’t it amazing what we’ll do for acceptance. She’s an true miracle of God. Thanks Mel

  • What courage strength.. thanks for sharing this story..
    So many people can benefit from this amazing story of overcoming

  • Beautiful testimony!??? The Love of our Lord Jesus is truly “Amazing Grace”

  • I’m glad that Maureen realized that her life was not going in the right direction. I’m also glad she found a Godly man to help her through life.

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My Identity Is Found in Him

My Identity Is Found in Him

PTSD 2

As much as I love writing the stories of overcomers, Angel*’s story is best told in her own words. Her courage in sharing her story is simply amazing. You’ll quickly see what I mean. Please watch her video below.

*Her

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11 Responses to My Identity Is Found in Him

  • I have the honor and privilege to work alongside Angel. She is a true testimony of God’s redemption and unending grace.

  • What a blessing to hear Angel’s testimony! Such a powerful, courageous story of redemption and hope. We hurt and reject ourselves, others join in, but Jesus is the only One who heals, forgives, and enables us to transform! Bless you Angel and thank you for sharing your story with Melony so others can be encouraged and blessed.

  • 10th BIRTHDAY! WOW. I was riveted to her story. You are right, Mel, hearing her tell it was powerful. And what she can’t explain is the Grace and Peace that surpasses all understanding, because it comes from the Lord. What a BRAVE and AMAZING woman! Her guilt and shame are gone, and her story is HOPE for some other woman out there to know that there is a way out of that cycle. I am sitting at my desk feeling the Love of the Lord just by hearing her story. Amazing!

  • Angel,
    I pray that your heart will always feel the AWESOMENESS of the FATHER. I pray your story is spread throughout our society and reaches those places where girls and women that have experienced these horrors in their lives will see the hope and love that radiates through your eyes!

    Father, thank you for Angel’s open heart and sharing spirit. I so appreciate people who are transparent, Lord, and can open up and tell the truth so that others can see you and your works in their life. Please Father, provide Angel with the peace that passes all understanding. Please send people to uplift her. And I pray that she will always have the hope and love in her eyes that she has today! In Jesus’ AWESOME and POWERFUL NAME!!! Amen

  • wow…I have watched this video several times and I am amazed! I am amazed at how God has helped Angel be the great person she is today, and I am proud to say I know her!

  • Thanks everyone for leaving your words of encouragement for Angel. Her story is truly a 180 degree turn from where she started. As Joyce Meyer says, “I may not have had a great start, but I’m gonna have a great finish!” So very true for Angel!

  • Angel, thank you for sharing your powerful testimony. God truly can help us overcome all forms of evil. It grieves me the things you suffered. May God continue to bless you each and every day!

  • What an amazing story of grace and redemption. I have no other words except to thank Angel for her courage in telling.

  • Oh my goodness what a powerful testimony of God’s love and His redeeming grace. I too was a cutter and dealt with bulimia before it was publicly known. I’m grateful that like you I have been able to break free by God’s grace. Thank God you were brought out of the darkness and into the light. Your story needs to be told. Keep talking Angel. You’re able to reach a population of people that others can’t reach. Thank you!!!

  • Working in your church to help others is a broad mission. I pray that you can have a positive effect on many.

  • Angel, I certainly can not identify with this. I hope your life is coming together and is much better for you.

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