John and Kay West, missionaries to South Africa “Beauty for Ashes” History of the "Beauty for Ashes" grief workbook and seminar...
As
many of you know, Kay West, former counselor for Jesus Cares
Ministries, is the founder and author of "Beauty for Ashes." She originally developed and conducted this workshop for the many grieving
and hurting women of Jesus Cares Ministries. These workshops began right in our
home with our live-in clients. As we saw the increasing need, and
many benefiting from Kay's teaching on grief, we expanded to offer
this seminar to our volunteers as a training tool. We also included those we were reaching through our Community Outreach program. "Beauty For
Ashes" became a regular part of our outreach. After time, Kay and her
husband, John, were called to minister to the grieving people of
Swaziland. Wanting to step up our skills in this vital area, we took
some courses on grief. We built upon the foundation that our faithful
sister had laid for us, finding ways to make the material more
relevant for men, and compiling all the information into a booklet
format. The material is now available to others in the community as a
free booklet to use for themselves or their counselees. What my
sister began by faith years ago has grown like a mustard seed into a
large tree offering shade and refuge for many. Many have found relief
through the material she sowed into this mission.
Rape,
incest, abandonment issues and a host of grief and loss issues can be
stuffed into our hearts. Much energy is needed to keep the cork on
that bottle and the material has helped many an individual release
the floodgates, and allow the Lord to walk them through the valley of
grief. We want to protect the privacy of our clients but would like
to share the comments of one such woman who walked through the
difficult places with Jesus Cares Ministries:
“For
approximately 45+ years I have carried guilt and shame for being
molested as a very young girl. Then counseling with Jesus Cares one
on one, "so much more" came out...all the ugliness that our
Messiah had forgiven me for, that I could not forgive myself, and
unknowingly held on to which deep down was causing more issues in my
relationship with my partner and with my Savior. I learned from
example and by your wisdom, that I was not accepting God's grace.
Jesus died on the cross to forgive all my sins, not just the ones I
allowed Him to. I was rejecting what Jesus had done by not allowing
ALL my sins to be forgiven. Since I have learned this, I have
rededicated my life..." We had the privilege of coaching more women this year who have been struggling with
denial issues that caused unhealthy coping patterns. Many have come to a place of
acceptance and even joy! We would like to honor John and Kay West who
walked with us early on in this vital and fruitful facet of Jesus
Cares. We want to say to you, “Well done faithful servants!”
If you are an individual, church or organization wanting to conduct a seminar in your community, please contact: Doreen @480 831 1737. A free PDF version of the workbook: "Beauty For Ashes" is available on this website under "Free Resources."
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