The Well | Childhood, sexual abuse Archives

Nathan (USA)

Meet Nathan

Nathan shares how an older kid sexually abused him while he was very young. He talks about the guilt and shame he felt. Nathan describes that the abuse awakened a curiosity in him – which moved from pornography – to paying for sex – by the time he was a young adult. He knew he had gone too far, and he felt utterly hopeless. Just as he was about to throw himself onto train tracks, God brought to mind a verse from the Bible he had learned as a kid – “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:32). This was the turning point in Nathan’s life. He believed in the gospel and God started rebuilding Nathan’s life. Today Nathan is married with children and works as a family counseling pastor.

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This story was produced by Park Community Church, Chicago, USA.

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Tags: Approval from others, Christian ministry life - counseling pastor, Guilt, Hopelessness, Pornography use, Secrecy, Sex addiction, Sexual abuse, Sexual life - paying for sex, Shame, Suicidal, Suicide attempt

March 8, 2019 0

Tim (USA)

Meet Tim

Tim tells his story of how a neighbor repeatedly sexually abused him as a child. Tim shares how this led to an addiction to pornography as a teenager. Tim did not tell anyone about the abuse or pornography use and he felt burdened by his secrets. His mother caught him using pornography. God used this incidence to open up a family dialogue about the sexual abuse Tim had experienced and also the sexual abuse each of his family members had encountered also. Tim notes the sincere Christian faith of his parents at the time. He came to Christ six months after revealing his secret past.He describes how Jesus has shown him mercy and patience. Over time Jesus has freed Tim from the pornography addiction and other burdens weighing Tim down.

Gospel

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This story was produced by I Am Second, USA.

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Tags: Approval from others, Double life, Lying, Pornography addiction, Secrecy, Sexual abuse - childhood, Sin – trapped by it

January 18, 2019 0

Gemma (Ireland)

Meet Gemma

Gemma is from Ireland but emigrated to the USA. She was sexually abused as a child and this deeply troubled her as an adult. She dismissed the Bible and Jesus and didn’t believe in God. She started searching for God in her thirties. God brought her to a place where she could understand she was a sinner in need of a Savior. Having placed her faith in Christ she no longer feels shame over her abuse and has been able to forgive her abuser.

Gospel

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This story was produced by Saylorville Church, Des Moines, Iowa, USA.

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Tags: Anxiety - general, Atheism, Catholicism, Family member - forgiving them, Find God, Forgiveness, God - who is God?, Jesus' life on earth, Jesus' roles in the trinity, Lack of Peace, Low self-esteem, Migration, Negative thinking, Sexual abuse - childhood, Shame, Sin - accepting I'm a sinner, The Bible - hostility

January 15, 2019 0

Nedelka (Nicaragua)

Meet Nedelka

Nedelka grew up in Nicaragua where she experienced sexual abuse by a trusted employee of her family. She describes how this experience colored her thinking about men, children, and her own body. Nedelka and her family moved to Canada, where Nedelka’s emotional pain led her to punish her body through anorexia. She tried to commit suicide several times, including by starvation. She describes sensing God speak to her while she was wasting away and urging her to return to Nicaragua. She went back to her home country, to her mom, who had become a Christian. She shares how she encountered Christ and how she learned all about the gospel.

As soon as Nedelka trusted in Christ, her relationship with food changed. God used the teachings from a women’s ministry – Revive our Hearts – to give Nedelka a Biblical understanding of womanhood, marriage, and children. God transformed Nedelka’s wrong thinking about children – and she and her husband now have adopted several children.

Gospel

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Nedelka’s story was produced by Revive Our Hearts, Niles, Michigan, USA.

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Tags: Christianity - view on children, Christianity - view on manhood, Christianity - view on marriage, Control of life, Eating disorder - anorexia, Emotional pain, Negative thinking - about children, Negative thinking - about men, Sexual abuse - childhood, Suicidal, Suicide attempt – multiple

December 12, 2018 0

Brooke (USA)

Meet Brooke

Brooke grew up in a home hearing about God and what Jesus had done for her on the cross. But she chose to reject God and push Him away because she was sexually abused as a child. She talks about her anger, hatred, and bitterness toward God. She chased after a worldly lifestyle instead. Then, at a Revive Our Hearts event, Brooke witnessed the way Joni Eareckson Tada coped with her physical suffering yet still loved God. God used this to break into Brooke’s heart and she turned to God and received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Brooke talks about the weight lifted from her, and how God turned her life around.

Gospel

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Brooke’s story was produced by Revive Our Hearts, Niles, Michigan, USA.

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Tags: Bitterness, Burdened, Christian upbringing - reject it, College - party lifestyle, Coping with suffering, Drug abuse, God - angry with God, God - feeling God is indifferent, God - hostile towards God, Sexual abuse - childhood

December 12, 2018 0

Junko (Japan)

Meet Junko

Junko shares that she was sexually abused as a child. This resulted in her feeling terrible shame and a lack of self-worth. She describes her unhappiness in adulthood and her desire to be loved. Junko describes what it’s like to know Jesus and experience His love. She knows she has eternal life.

Gospel

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Junko’s story was produced by Moving Works, Austin, Texas, USA.

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Tags: Certainty of eternal life, Depression, Find love, God's love, Low self-esteem, Sexual abuse - childhood, Shame, Unhappiness

December 11, 2018 0

Jonathan (Brazil)

Meet Jonathan

Jonathan is a hip-hop artist from Brazil. He talks about the sexual abuse in his childhood and violent death of his father. As an adult his lifestyle was drugs, sex, and violence. He was known as ‘Death Carrier’. Then he heard the gospel and God awakened him to the truth. God has completely transformed Jonathan’s life and now he is on the streets of Rio de Janeiro using music to tell others what Christ can do for them.