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Stories of Transformation

Denise’s Story

Today Denise – one of our Ambassadors is sharing about her journey at Atlanta Mission. Denise has been crucial in building relationships with the ladies at our Day Shelter. 

Blessed Assurance is one of those songs that will never grow old because it has such depth. Some of the lyrics go like this:

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation purchase of God, Born of His Spirit washed in His Blood.

This is my story this is my song, praising my savior all the daylong.

I never truly and fully knew what worshiping Christ was like till the day I could sing this song during a worship time next to someone who to the world had nothing, but to them, they had everything in Christ.

Two years is how long I’ve worked at the mission. That’s 17,520 hours, give or take. I’ve had the privilege of not only working at My Sister’s House as a program assistant, but at the Atlanta Day Shelter as an ambassador. That means I’ve had the privilege to talk with hundreds of women. I’ve had the opportunity to be a listening ear for their stories and testimonies.

I’ve talked with women who have been on the run from someone that could potentially kill them. I’ve talked with women who lost everything they’ve ever had, right down to every family member. I’ve talked with women who decided that, just for a moment, they wanted to be able to forget everything that has happened to them, and picked a drug of choice to ease that pain. I’ve talked with girls who had to become women far too early in their lives due to their circumstances.

The thing, though, is that in this mess of life and circumstances, there is something beautiful waiting to rescue these women, and us all— that’s Jesus Christ. At Atlanta Mission, we believe in that restoration. Just like the prayer for restoration in Psalms, it is something that is prayed over the people we get to serve on a daily basis. This is life transformation in its messy loveliness. At the end of the day, we are all in our mess of life and need that healing power of the hand of God. I’ve seen that woman that was on the run, run right into the loving arms of her Father. I’ve seen that woman that lost everything, find wholeness in Christ. I’ve seen that woman go from needing one more hit, to needing just one more worship song. I’ve seen the girl that had to become a woman too young, become a woman of God.

OH Yes, this is *OUR* story, this is our song, praising our savior all the daylong.