Written by: Anonymous Client
I very much wanted to share some of my personal story of receiving help from this ministry, Life In Abundance. It is dear to me. Please know these words are from my heart.
Life In Abundance. From His words in John 10:10, we know that abundant life is the life Jesus came for us to have. For me, I was not living this abundant life. Much to the contrary, I was at a very low point. I came to Life In Abundance to counsel with Stephanie in November of 2014. I was 34 years old. What I didn’t or couldn’t see then was the timeline of events that shaped my life up to that moment. My first visit with Stephanie I will always remember. She asked me a question, to rate myself on a scale of 0-5 with 0 being a piece of gum stuck to the floor and 5 being the best I’ve ever been in my life, can’t get any better. I honestly gave myself less than a 1 that day. In just the relatively short season of life leading up to that day, I experienced a chronic health crisis altering my everyday life and career, a failing effort to blend a family, and the sudden and unexpected death of my mom. Despite knowing Jesus, I was over my head, almost drowning from the physical and emotional circumstances. These things impacted my spiritual life and while I’d had a relationship with Jesus for years, I couldn’t find my way or connect to pull myself out on my own.
I sought out lay counseling at my church and participated weekly in that for 4-6 weeks. I was making no improvement and life seemed only more confusing. At the advice of a friend, I promptly made an appointment with Stephanie. This began a journey for me that would last 2 years and 8 months. Circumstances got worse before they got better. Much worse. My life was turned upside down. Praise God for placing me in this ministry for this time in my life. Financially, things changed for me also and only because of donations to the ministry was I able to continue my sessions. Also, please understand that throughout my life prior to seeing Stephanie at Life In Abundance, I’d seen a couple of different counselors. There is something very different that sets Life In Abundance apart from anything I experienced in those counseling sessions, and that is God. Each of my sessions always began with Spirit led prayer. Stephanie boldly invited the Holy Spirit into our sessions and submitted our sessions to Him for His work. Work He did over each of my sessions and I am beyond grateful. Another important aspect of my counseling was that I was always given “homework”. There was work that needed to be done. Years and years of layers that God needed to peel back and get to the root of with my cooperation. The effort while difficult most of the time was so, incredibly worth it. Over the years, I have referred many of my friends or others that God places along my path to the counseling services at Life In Abundance. As an active part of Women’s Ministry in my church, we also refer individual women here as well. I pray you will support Life In Abundance. It is an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a world that desperately needs Him. Through this ministry and the work of God in it, I found hope and healing to live abundantly.