Staff Blog from Kourtney Floyd
By: Kourtney Floyd
Development Assistant
This May, I will celebrate four years of working with The WellHouse. Something the Lord has been showing me recently is the act of remembering. The Hebrew word used when the people of God were told to remember in the Old Testament is zakhar. This word conveys more than looking back; it is recalling and remembering that propels and encourages us to move forward in faith. Therefore, I want to recall some of God's moves on the WellHouse campus.
When I first drove onto campus in May of 2020, only four buildings sat on our property. The three original buildings and the newly constructed Next Steps to Independence apartments were there. In less than a year’s time, the woods were cleared and a new home, WellHouse Child, was completed as a haven for teen girls who had been victims of sex trafficking. At the same time, a beautiful Chapel was built in the center of campus to anchor our property and us in what I consider the most vital portion of our mission statement, “...to honor God…”. The Chapel serves as a reminder that He is the one who enables us to keep pressing forward in this work.
WellHouse Child residents and staff have faced challenges through the growing pains of a new program, and throughout it all, God has been faithful in bringing in equipped and compassionate women to walk alongside these young women. The chapel serves as a place of peace and refuge for all our staff and residents. On any given day you may find residents participating in a guitar class, Bible Study, worship, or even a therapy session in the chapel. You may also encounter a staff member who has retreated there for quality time with the Almighty during their lunch hour or after a heavy session with residents. God is so faithful in meeting with us and providing what we need here.
We have also invited church and ministry partners out to the chapel to encourage staff, women, and girls in the Word and lead worship through song. These services always prove to be a powerful time. My church has even had the privilege of coming to campus regularly to share testimony of God’s transformative work and His faithfulness while offering prayer for the residents.
Over my time here, I have watched God faithfully position each person at the right time to serve in the many areas of this ministry, be it administrative or direct care. It is difficult when a person’s season here ends and when we go through times of being short-staffed in certain areas. Looking back I can see that God’s desire was further growth and fruitfulness. While we are still filling openings in some areas, we have been able to grow our therapy department tremendously to meet the needs of our residents. There has also been exponential growth in our work therapy program, ShopWell!
You may have seen the recent news that we are building a Barn. In that vein, ShopWell has grown beyond measure, even in the last year, quickly increasing our need for a larger workspace for ShopWell staff. God has faithfully provided the resources needed to build and complete this space. As mentioned in a previous blog post, the Barn will also house our new Therapy suites! I am blown away by how God has continually provided so that we can continue to see our residents heal, grow, and find restoration.
These particular areas of growth also show that women and girls are constantly coming to The WellHouse. Survivors who find themselves in our program need safety, restoration, and a Hope that will not disappoint. These women and girls trust us and believe that there is something better for them than what they have previously experienced. I have seen them transform and experience the “abundantly more” God promises.
Some of these women have become dear friends over the years, and I know that God will continue to do what he did for them for the one who just arrived, the one waiting to move to Next Steps to Freedom, the one who just graduated, and every woman and girl on our campus. So, I recall God's faithfulness to provide what we need at just the right time for our staff, volunteers, and, most of all, the ones we serve at The WellHouse.