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As the auditorium filled
with 5,000 people on opening night of our church’s annual
convention, my heart went out to the women filling those seats.
I couldn’t help but wonder how many of them, like me, were
functioning with unidentified burdens. At that time, the
statistic for abused women was one in four. I began to count – one, two, three,
four, one, two, three, four... My eyes filled with tears, and my
heart broke, as I was given a glimpse of the need for emotional
healing. (Click here to read
more)
“One in three women in the United States will be
battered, beaten or
abused in her lifetime.” (Muskegon Chronicle, October 9,
2007)
Since 1990, more than
10,000 American children have died at the hands of their parents or caretakers.
Four children die every day in this country from child abuse and neglect. (more...)
2006 statistics: “An estimated 905,000 children
were victims of maltreatment. The rate of victimization was 12.1 per 1,000
children in the population” (Childhelp.org).
These children become adults with unique
problems. They may be our family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers.
Necessary tools for living a fulfilled life may have been damaged by abuse. But
the good news is—this can be healed.
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Statistics are staggering