Restoration and Hope Writings

What began as a celebration became the beginning of my journey to awareness about human trafficking. Some moments never leave you. Most of us can point to a handful of moments that quietly divide our lives into before and after. Rarely do we recognize them while we're living them. They begin like any other day... a meeting on the calendar, a celebration with colleagues, lunch around a conference table. Only years later do we realize God was using an ordinary moment to begin t

Everyone is saying it. Almost nobody can explain it. What a viral trend reveals about our search for identity, belonging, and something that lasts. If you've spent any time around kids and teens lately, you've probably heard someone say "67." Not sixty-seven. Six. Seven. If you're confused, don't worry. Most adults are. In fact, after spending far too much time researching the trend, I'm not entirely convinced the kids know exactly what it means either. That's part of the jok

A Story of Betrayal, Faith, and Real Transformation There’s a moment from my past that still comes back to me… not loud, not dramatic, just enough to remind me who I used to be. It didn’t happen in chaos. It happened in a quiet, ordinary setting… the kind where nothing looks wrong from the outside. But something was already off. Boundaries had been softened. Lines had been crossed long before the moment itself. A friend trusted me. And I slept with her boyfriend. Even writing

I got the call again… and before she even finished the sentence, I knew. There is a tone in a mother's voice when something has gone terribly wrong — a weight that words cannot carry on their own. This time it was a friend I have known for over a decade, telling me that her daughters, one a teenager and one an adolescent, had been hurt… not once, not twice, but over time, repeatedly violated by someone they knew, someone they trusted, someone the family knew. And in that mome

Over the last six months, since launching this ministry, resistance has pressed hard. A broken leg. A near fatal fall off a cliff. My husband tumbling off a ladder. My love one attempting suicide. Estrangement with my in-laws. Technology failing when work must move forward. A car stuck in the snow and a flat tire on the way to serve. Individually, each event could be explained. Together, they forced reflection. I am working to bring survivors to Christ. This means I am walkin

Last week, during a blizzard, we almost died. My husband was driving his blue Chevy Colorado with winter wheels through a snowstorm to get firewood on our way to our cabin. Our two cats were in the back. Everything around us was whitewashed. We were in an unfamiliar industrial area, trying to follow signs to get out safely after loading a barrel of firewood into the truck. It looked like we simply had to drive downhill to reach some construction vehicles ahead. Then my husban

Why Empowerment Matters I would love to rescue people. Not in a blood and guts, emergency room kind of way. I would probably pass out. Spiritually, emotionally, physically? Absolutely. The desire to step in and help runs deep for most of us. There is something compelling about imagining the moment when danger ends and relief finally settles in. Experience has taught me something important, though. A moment of safety does not stop life from continuing. Real life begins immedia

January 2, 2026 Would you have believed it if I told you I joined a gang? If you met me today, that sentence might feel hard to reconcile with who I am now. An active Christian, a professional businesswoman, an engaged community member. The founder of a nonprofit rooted in restoration and hope. Someone who speaks about faith, dignity, and healing with conviction. And yet, this is my story. Birthdays slow me down. They turn memory into a mirror and invite questions that cannot

Melissa - Age 15 Virginia Giuffre’s book Nobody’s Girl tells a story the world finally paid attention to because of who was involved. Powerful men. Wealthy women. Global elites. But the most important part of her story has very little to do with Epstein. It has everything to do with what happened before him. Virginia writes that her father sexually abused her starting at a very young age. Before trafficking ever entered her life, her body, boundaries, and understanding of l

I was nineteen years old with a two-year-old boy on my hip, trying to hold my world together in a crowded Rhode Island city. The old, large house I rented was extremely close to neighbors on three sides. I had multiple roommates, a toddler, and the kind of exhaustion that only young motherhood and survival-mode living can create. Being that close to neighbors means you don’t just hear their lives, you feel them. You absorb their arguments through the walls, their storms that

When people ask what my role looks like as Executive Director of Restorative Hope Ministries, they expect strategy meetings, budgets, planning, and program development; those things are real and necessary. However the true heartbeat of my days is watching God take the broken pieces of a woman’s life and quietly, faithfully rebuild something truly beautiful. Every week on my way to the restorative safe home, Living Hope Farm, managed by Beauty from Ashes Ministry, I pray Matth

Have you ever noticed how two people can face the same situation yet react in completely different ways? One feels anxious while another stays calm; one takes charge while another steps back. What if you could understand why ... not just what people do, but what drives them beneath the surface? The Enneagram offers a fascinating way to explore those inner motivations. It helps us uncover the patterns that shape how we think, feel, and relate to others, giving us language for

Woman living in Skid Row Credit: News Dog Media “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” — John 10:10 The Illusion of Freedom When I was a kid, I loved the band Skid Row. Their songs were loud, rebellious, full of attitude, everything a teenager thinks freedom sounds like. I had no idea what the name truly meant. Years later, I learned that Skid Row isn’t just a rock band.

Have you ever caught yourself reacting before you could even think? Maybe you snapped at someone and instantly regretted it, or you froze up in a conversation that shouldn’t have felt threatening. Later, you wonder, “Why did I do that?” That moment when, logic disappears and emotions take over, isn’t a failure of willpower. It’s a glimpse into the complex workings of your mind. The Three Voices in Your Mind Psychiatrist and neuroscientist Professor Steve Peters , in his groun

Last week, I completed my Trauma-Informed Coaching 101 Certificate through Light University . This milestone deepened my understanding of how trauma affects people, especially adult survivors of sexual violence and psychological abuse, and reaffirmed why empathy and patience are essential parts of the healing journey. The Hidden Wounds We Don’t See Many trauma survivors look like everyone else. They go to work, raise families, and smile through their day, yet inside, they may

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Demand Freedom Conference, hosted by the NH Traffick Free Coalition, and I’m still processing everything I experienced. It was inspiring. The room was full of people and organizations, survivors... advocates, ministries, and community leaders... all standing together for one purpose: to end human trafficking and restore dignity to those who’ve been exploited. I walked away encouraged, challenged, and deeply moved. One of

When most people hear human trafficking , they imagine kidnappings, locked rooms, or people smuggled across borders. But the truth is far...

Why Rest Matters as Much as Work In our culture, rest is often seen as optional, while work is essential. Yet God designed us to need both. Work is a gift; it provides for ourselves and our families, gives us dignity, and allows us to contribute to the world around us. However, rest is equally a gift. .. it renews our bodies, refreshes our minds, and reconnects us to the One who created us. At Restorative Hope Ministries, we walk with survivors of human trafficking as they r

Reclaiming My Body For as long as I can remember, I’ve been aware of my body. As a survivor of trauma, there were seasons when it didn’t feel like it belonged to me. Caring for it through fitness and discipline became a way of reclaiming ownership. Staying in shape wasn’t only about appearance, it was about power, strength, and proving to myself that I was in control. But looking back now, I realize I often put too much focus on my body. I believed beauty was something I had