(from the June 2003 issue)
Illustrations by Harry Ahn

by Amelia Rose as told to Cynthia J. Prime

My story is a story of God’s incredible grace, and how He can take one who is broken and bruised, and bring healing. It’s the story of how a loving God can take a victim in her valley of suffering to a place where she can help other hurting women experience victory.

It began when I left my home and teaching position in Jamaica to further my education in New York. My roots were Christian, but God led me to some meetings where I discovered and accepted the Adventist message.

With joy in my new-found faith, I was eager to do everything just right. I relinquished relationships with non-Adventist professional friends and four years later accepted the proposal of a man who was very active in the Adventist Church. He professed to love the Lord, and everyone loved him. I believed with all my heart that I could build a future with him.

Women in crisis with their children are welcomed by a loving and caring staff. From left: Faith Orukwowu, Women In Renewal resident manager, and Amelia Rose, CEO.

We moved to Florida where my husband’s family lived. I enrolled in the University of West Florida to continue my studies in industrial technology. But soon, problems began to surface. Within months of our wedding, I was shocked when he began to abuse me physically. I had never had a man even raise his voice at me.

Finding myself in a new place with no family support was frightening. I wanted to return to New York, but he begged me to stay ... and I did. I didn’t tell anyone. After all, he was dearly beloved and I was a stranger. Who would believe me?

After one incident, I became withdrawn and eventually sought the help of the pastor. He advised me to pray. I told him I didn’t have a problem with God. The problem was that my husband was abusive. He said prayer would take care of everything.

The abuse continued for two years. I tried to hold out at school and got sick to my stomach at the thought of going home.

When I’d had enough, I discovered a public shelter and went there. I had no idea what to expect at a shelter. It turned out to be another nightmare. As a Christian, I couldn’t figure out what I was doing at a place like this. Fortunately, a friend from church found out I was there and invited me to stay at her place. I accepted, even though her home was on the same block as my husband’s.

My husband expressed his repentance and I ended up back home. It started all over again. I discovered a gun under the bed while cleaning, but decided to keep quiet for fear he might get angry and use it. By then, I knew I had to leave for good.

I appealed to the people at the university, and they made student housing available to me even though it was late in the semester. I found myself in a dorm room with young girls who smoked, drank, and brought their boyfriends in at all hours. I decided that even if I starved, I would find my own place.

I struggled, but with God’s help I completed college and went on to get a master’s degree in educational leadership with a minor in management. I discovered that education and faith in God are the first lines of defense against abuse.

Mable Dunbar (left), founder and former president of Women In Renewal, dreamed of a haven where women and children victims of domestic violence could be ministered to in a safe, Christian environment.

Polly Westman (right) donated the farm where she grew up to Women In Renewal. This country refuge is affectionately called Polly’s Place.

I felt God was leading me to something, but I wasn’t sure what. I changed churches and became active in women’s ministries. Before long, they asked me if I would be the director. I found nurturing women and their children made my life very fulfilling. Now free of my husband’s control, I was able to serve others as I grew professionally.

The Lord impressed me to pursue a degree in the helping profession, so I enrolled in a doctoral program specializing in pastoral psychology. God had a vision for what I would become. He helped me to build a secure life and blessed me with career success. I developed and directed a parenting and education center, serving teen moms and dads. I enjoyed that tremendously.

It was during a women’s conference in Miami, Florida, where I was a guest speaker that I learned of a shelter run by Seventh-day Adventist lay workers in Niles, Michigan, called Women In Renewal. Because of my own experience, the idea of the Adventist Church openly becoming involved in helping victims of domestic violence or pregnant teens was a new thought for me. My heart resonated with the fact that there was actually a place providing a Christian response to hurting issues.

A year later, Mable Dunbar, the founder and president of Women In Renewal, relocated, and I was asked if I would help find someone capable of running the program. As time went by and I had not found anyone to recommend, I accepted an invitation to come to Niles to visit the place and consider becoming involved myself, but I trembled in my shoes. Here I was, a single woman with a secure retirement and a growing career. And now I was actually contemplating a job that would remove all my security. When the board asked me to consider accepting the position, I knew I had to pray hard.

That Friday evening at a special vesper program, there were three speakers, and it seemed as if each one was speaking directly to me. I remember hearing the words, “When God is ready to work a miracle, He picks the wrong person and a ridiculous idea.” I felt a tug of war inside of me. How could I give up the ground beneath my feet? Yet my heart was torn when I looked at the farmhouse and land dedicated to this ministry.

I knew that God had given a wonderful dream to Mable. I believed that it was God who inspired Ron and Polly Westman to donate the property. Before long, I found myself not just seeing what was there, but what it could become with God’s help. I could see pregnant girls being helped before they became chronic victims. I could see women’s lives being changed. But I was still scared. I asked God to speak to me so that I would know it was His voice. He did.

God has given me a dream for Women In Renewal. I would like to build on the foundation that was put in place by Mable Dunbar. The Polly’s Place Program for Domestic Violence is growing. But we need to be proactive. Early intervention programs save lives. I’ve had numerous calls from various agencies across the country asking if Mary’s Inn, our teen pregnancy center, is ready. It hurts me to say no, because some of these girls have only two options—parenting or abortion.

We plan to begin small. As soon as our plumbing and electrical challenges are addressed, we will seek a license from the state. Ministries like this don’t get much financial help because they are not perceived as evangelism. But that’s a mistake—lives are changed here. I’m praying for a team of men who are builders that will be willing to help put up new housing for the girls and the women. I’m praying for volunteers and helpers who will embrace this opportunity to build something to the glory of God right here in Niles.
God has enabled me to use my journey as a path in blessing the broken and battered. I pray that there are others who God will enable to use their money, their time, and their talents to be a blessing as well.