Please explain your heart for ministering to trauma survivors and the ministry you’ve created as a result.
So many believers are being held “hostage” within themselves because of how they see themselves, because of past hurts, anger, lack of forgiveness and/or fear. We created “Through the Winters” to assist church leaders in ways that their members could find a release in those areas and allow them the opportunity to overcome the lies of the enemy.

We recognized that abuse and trauma were not discussed much in churches today. Many pastors and church leaders don’t know how to relate to or sympathize with those who have gone through these experiences. We’ve even come across those in church leadership, including pastors, who may have had their own traumas but never discussed or dealt with their issues themselves. At nearly every church we have visited, pastors were surprised to find how many of their members have had a history of abuse.

Marsha has been able to share her life story on pulpits and in conferences. In doing so, she has helped many see God’s hand through the midst of struggle and pain. We have shared with parents and ministry leaders about the importance of listening to young people.

At nearly every church we have visited, pastors were surprised to find how many of their members have had a history of abuse.

We have been blessed to minister to married couples in a workshop form where one or both members have been abused, and they have found it difficult to relate to their spouse both physically and emotionally.

Marsha was able to meet with a group of foster parents at one church in order to help them better understand the mindset of the children they are caring for. She helped them also learn how to speak to kids and how to allow the child room to express their feelings and emotions.

Marsha, how have you learned to rely on God to heal your abusive childhood? How does this experience guide your approach to ministry?
I needed to see God in my childhood to heal. When I saw God had His hand over my life, I relied on Him for healing. I searched for purpose in my pain. I needed to make that lost childhood worth it. The moment I found my purpose was like someone gave me my life back. My approach isn’t to make more people feel devastated by the pain they’ve experienced. We aim to help others see purpose through their pain, so what was stolen can be restored.

How would you encourage other church leaders to respond when dealing with those who have experienced trauma and abuse?
If we the church are truly going into the world and preaching the gospel, we must ask ourselves if we’re really ready for the truly broken, used and abused. A prayer at the altar doesn’t always fix everything; the emotionally wounded need to be brought to the Great Physician. It takes commitment, patience and perseverance on the part of the leader to get individuals through.

We encourage leaders to look at their church to see how they are supporting the hurting people God has entrusted in their care. They must make necessary changes to meet the needs of the flock of this time.