Finding peace from a traumatic past at Wayside Cross Lifespring Center.
Going from abused, insecure mother of four to confident daughter of the king!
How more women are discovering the Free, Faith-based transitional shelter, and domestic violence services and support at Wayside Cross Ministries’ Lifespring Center .
What happens when the purity of God encounters the brokenness of humanity?
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “On average, nearly 23.04 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.” This is a staggering statistic! Many of the women who come to our women’s shelter at Wayside Cross Ministries’ Lifespring Women’s Center have suffered at the hands of an abusive partner.
Not long ago, Dineah was one of those women. Her story is a familiar one. Traumatized as a child when someone touched her inappropriately, she ended up in an abusive relationship where she had children and remained until she could break free. Dineah also never knew who her father was, which left a huge void in her life. Everyone who has been abandoned as a child wonders why they weren’t enough, leading to a lack of self-esteem, trauma and often self-sabotaging behaviors. The combination of these traumas left Dineah with a lot of anxiety that she had no idea how to handle. At the young age of 17, she ended up in a domestic violence situation. At the age of 20 she, her abusive partner, and their two children were homeless. Eventually, they were able to get back on their feet. She had two more children with him, continuing to live in an abusive environment for 16 long years. No one could see the pain she was under.
Eventually it became more than she could bear. She needed help.
“Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, ‘You are the God who sees me…I have now seen the One who sees me!” ~ Genesis 16:13-15
“Be still and know that I am God!” ~Psalm 46:10
God brought Dineah to “a very God-loving community.”
When asked what her greatest challenge was before coming to Lifespring, she said, “My biggest challenge before coming to Lifespring was my lack of self-confidence.” Dineah needed help to realize that she was smart and could do things on her own and prosper without a man in her life. Eventually, Dineah came to realize that for the past 16 years, all the things that her partner had told her about herself were lies, used to control her and keep her in that abusive relationship. She learned to put her trust in God and to view herself as He sees her, a precious daughter of the King!
Lifespring helped Dineah in so many ways. Through the classes she took she was able to get her GED. Dineah is a graduate of the program at Lifespring Ministries and now has a full-time job at Family Dollar. She has worked there since October of 2023. It hasn’t been easy, she’s made mistakes like anyone but has worked toward correcting those things and moving forward. This has enabled her to grow at work. Recently, she was approached by the District Manager who said she saw potential in Dineah and thinks Dineah could manage her own store and will be training her this summer with that goal in mind.
This is where Dineah sees that the consistency and steadfastness that LifeSpring has taught her is reaping a reward. She sees that she and her kids have a future with real financial stability.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11
“The most important thing I have learned at Lifespring is to be steadfast,” Dineah says. Her life was always filled with inconsistency, but has now learned to have consistency in her daily life, from starting the day with morning devotions, to going to her job, and then coming home and going to class even though she is tired. This routine and consistency has helped Dineah to learn to be steadfast. “I’ve also had to learn to be honest with myself,” she says, “and to ask for help when I needs it. Being here at Lifespring, they help you to recognize those problem areas…to keep it in front of your head…this is how you can solve it…I have learned to be mindful to be honest with myself.” She has learned she doesn’t need to cover up her mistakes or to make excuses, but to face them head on. That is a huge step for Dineah.
God has truly given Dineah’s family a hope and a future and He did it through Lifespring Ministries
Dineah now lives with her three daughters and son in one of the apartments at Lifespring. Her children are 14, 12, 5 and 3. She has her hands full, raising her four children and working full-time, but she has a terrific support system in place and is so grateful for the help that Lifespring has given her to not only get her kids back and out of that abusive home, but also in helping her to make a life for her children. Dineah would not have the relationship with God that she has today without the loving care and nurturing that Lifespring gave her.
She has learned she is more than a mom. “I’m not only a mom, I am Dineah, too.” Lifespring has taught her about self-care and how that enables her to be a better mom. Now she knows she needs to fill up her tank in order to have what she needs to give her kids what they need. She has learned to allow her kids to be open and honest with her, and her children are reaping the benefits of what Lifespring has taught Dineah. God has truly given their family a hope and a future through Lifespring Ministries!
Dineah would like everyone to know that their donations to Lifespring Ministries are making a difference. She has no idea where she would be today without their help. Dineah shared, “I hope people will support Lifespring because we really need it.” God has taken Dineah from a truly hopeless situation and given her more than she could have ever dreamed of…a life free from abuse for herself and her children, a job and means of supporting her family, and most importantly a thriving relationship with the Lord and so much hope for the future!
Dineah shared, “I hope people will support Lifespring because we really need it.”
Need Help, Call Lifespring Center 630-851-0187
Lifespring Center: One of the Christian Recovery And Support Ministries of Wayside Cross.
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215 E. New York Street • Aurora, IL 60505
Phone: 630-892-4239
Fax: 630-892-3799
Email: info@waysidecross.org
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These days, Lark has gained some really good friendships at Lifespring. She appreciates that there are people in the program that she can share her struggles with, like a resident named Rica, who is very knowledgeable about the Bible. “She’ll quote me things and talk to me.” She has helped Lark through some tough times. Women in the Lifespring program all come from different walks of life. Lark shared, “But we are all here for the same reason. We’re broken, and we need help. We need God! We are here wanting to know how to be put back together…but for the most part we are a family.”
We embrace all people with the compassion of Christ
Wayside Cross Ministries is a 501(c) (3) | EIN 36~2167950
81% of all gifts fund life-transforming programs & meals.
