Joy I Never Knew

Tim Williams, Director of Church Relations grew up in the Victoria area and has been in Christian ministry since 1982 with 27 of those years serving as a senior pastor. As Director of Church Relations, Tim connects churches with STCH Ministries by helping identify ways to minister to their needs. He is also available for pulpit supply as he leads the Pastor Care ministry.

Occasionally, Tim will share stories from his ministry relating to how God heals hurts and shares hope using STCH Ministries. Here is one story, in his words:

For years I watched as a young woman named Ashley grew up in my church in Victoria.  After I came on board with STCH Ministries, Ashley made her way to work in Branson, Missouri.  She happened to be working on the showboat the Branson Belle the fateful day in 2018 when seventeen people died in a Duck Boat accident during a thunderstorm.  Ashley and the rest of the staff watched helplessly as people drowned in front of them.

The event deeply traumatized Ashley, she had to quit her job and moved back home to Victoria to live with family.  She came to STCH Ministries Family Counseling where her family therapist recommended EMDR therapy for her.  The results were dramatic.  As she faced the anniversary of the Branson event she reflected on how she felt.

“It is a day that will forever remind me of heartbreak, shock and grief.  It is a day I will remember minute by minute.  It is a day that filled my heart and mind with anxiety and depression.”  She went on to mention that she did not look at boats the same and experienced chills every time there was a storm.

I asked her how she felt about things in light of her counseling.  I will let her words tell her story.  “I was telling a friend yesterday that I never thought I would be able to find joy again.  I was down such a dark hole that I didn’t think I would get out.  Because of His love, I found a joy I never knew existed.  I’m thankful for the grief, anxiety and depression because it opened my eyes to see I was settling for a life that was not part of God’s plan for me.  God is good.”

Ashley is back on her own and with a new career and a new direction.  Yes, God is good.

For more information about Family Counseling, please see: https://www.STCHM.org/family-counseling/

For more information about Pastor Care, please see: https://www.STCHM.org/pastor-care/