Salt and Light Graduation

This Tuesday, Bobbie and I were blessed to witness the graduation of cohorts 12 and 13 from Salt and Light Coalition. It was an honor and a joy to see these 7 women reach this milestone. Their journey to healing and wholeness is still ongoing, but they've reached a mile-marker that can be a source of pride, celebration, and encouragement.

We always strive to protect the identities of the survivors we serve, even when they complete the programs that we've served. Therefore, we won't share names or images of the graduates. We love each one of these women who graduated this week. We are so proud of them.

The valedictorian was "Jenny," and she is someone who, just a month ago, was so unsure and limiting herself because of doubt, fear, and feeling unworthy. However, she presented her speech as valedictorian, and she rocked it. She was nervous, sure, but she made us all proud. We were so excited to see "Jenny" speak with boldness and share how far she'd come through Salt and Light.

One of the ladies that is so dear to us is "Ruby." "Ruby" came in hiding behind two masks...a literal medical mask and an imaginary mask. She was so quiet and reserved, almost frozen by fear of being seen and heard. As the semester with us progressed, "Ruby" started to open up. We saw the masks come down. We started to hear her voice! Bobbie was so thrilled to see "Ruby" go from shy, quiet, and hidden in plain sight to seeing and hearing her getting excited to play our games, hear her laugh, and hear her create some amazing creative moments.

"Ally" is another of the women who touched us. She has a spunk and a fire and a purity of heart that makes her a future world changer. She is smart and creative. We're excited to see what mountains she climbs and obstacles she conquers in the coming years. She was so much fun in the improv workshops.

We could brag on all seven and go on for days on the memories we made seeing this group of ladies go through the program. We love them all and are so proud of them.

It's these moments that make the traveling, the battles with traffic, the scheduling limbo, the time away from home, and the fundraising worth it.

We are grateful to God, first and foremost, for redeeming our lives and using us to be a small part of His works in the survivors we meet. We are also so grateful to those who support us on our journey, whether through prayer and interceding, or through financial support.

If you'd like to help us make more memories like this...prayerfully consider joining our support team by giving a one-time gift or becoming a monthly Faith Promise partner. You can give directly at partner.gifts4glory.com.

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday and rest of your 2024!