No Longer Bound

Julia, a new resident at STCH Ministries Homes for Families (HFF), moved to Marshall Ranch determined to commit her heart to Jesus and to give her infant daughter Jordan a good life. After ending a bad relationship, she knew the time had come to break the abusive pattern. HFF allows mothers and their children to live in a safe, comfortable home setting as supportive staff help address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the family.

There are four phases in the program: Phase I – The Restorative, Phase II – The Equipping, Phase III – The Launch, Phase IV – The Landing. Inspiration for the phase names comes from the book Streams in the Desert by L.B. Cowman, “Jesus Christ is not my security against the storms of life, but He is my perfect security in the storms. He has never promised me an easy passage, only a safe landing.”

Julia experienced tremendous trauma during her formative years. Her dad hung himself when she was five years old and in the aftermath, she grew up in a controlling environment with her mother and a string of boyfriends. During this restorative phase at HFF, Julia recognized the hurt she experienced as a child resulted in her repeating the same manipulative habits as her mom. “I had to go through a forgiveness process which was possible only through Christ to overcome the guilt of the choices I have made,” She admitted.

Julia asked God to remind her of a time when she was not manipulative. He took her back to the age of seven when she had a nanny, Zonia, who served Jesus and taught Julia the scriptures. Her life, at that time, was devoted to pleasing Jesus. Julia hoped to become, for her baby, the same example Zonia had been to her. To do so, she knew she needed Jesus.

Encouraged by that memory, Julia continues to grow and seek God’s face. She is learning how to break free from the bondage that taught her to look to people instead of to the Lord. She describes the best part of living at HFF as the opportunity to show Jordan what it means to know who she is in Christ. The chance to live on Marshall Ranch with no distraction allows Julia to learn how to keep negative experiences from taking root in her heart.

It is beautiful to see what Jesus is doing through His word, prayer, praise and worship in her life and the other women at STCH Ministries Homes for Families.