For The One
Development Assistant
I came on staff at The WellHouse in the summer of 2020 while we were still in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. I had recently arrived back in the United States after serving for two years in direct-care with victims and survivors of human trafficking overseas. Six months prior to my return to the USA, I voiced to a friend that if The WellHouse had an open position when I returned I would apply. Fast-forward to March 2020, and my time overseas was cut a few weeks short do to the rise in COVID-19 cases and airlines quickly moving to cancel flights. While in many ways I felt unprepared to return, the Lord was at work. The day after I landed back in Atlanta, The WellHouse posted the position I now hold. Only God!
I now sit behind the desk in our front office, much different from my position in the two years overseas. I am no longer in direct-care, but something that remains a constant theme is having an eye for the one. The one person that God places in your path to demonstrate His love and kindness. The one person who presses in and chooses to receive the love of God and allow it to change, transform, and heal them. This work can be overwhelming, especially for those working in the trenches, directly with the women and girls we serve at The WellHouse. These women have experienced such deep trauma and sometimes it can be difficult not to carry it or to not be discouraged when someone decides to leave our program.
In the midst of this work I have two stories I hold onto. First, is the one still in the life. There is a woman that I met during my time overseas who is planted firmly in my memory. I will never forget her eyes, hollow and without hope. This is the one that drives me to continue in this line of work. Second, is the one who gets out, finds healing, and begins to thrive in her new life. I hold onto the stories of the ones who’ve made it, remembering there is hope for those still out there.
In order for these women to move from one story to the next, from hollow and hopeless to hope-filled and thriving, it takes all of us keeping our eyes open to extend hand, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear to the one in front of us. If we are each looking out for the one in front of us, together we can impact a multitude. Seek out the opportunities for impact large or small right in front of you.