Restoring Hope to Refugees
Diana’s trauma healing group has given her a new opportunity in life
After surviving an abusive relationship and fleeing her home in Venezula while carrying one child in each arm, Diana thought no one would take the time to help them.
Now, Diana stands proudly in the doorway of her newly built mud-block house, a house she has built all on her own.
She built it using mud, bricks, and a tin roof, and already the heat is beginning to crack the outer layer. The house is on a floodplain, the owner is unknown, and the land is condemned by Colombian authorities.
But for Diana, all she wanted was a place to call home.
Diana left her home in Venezuela two years ago with her children and sister’s family. They walked for weeks, trudging over mountains infested with rebels and through unknown cities because they had no money for a bus.
The journey tested her physical and mental strength every day. Carrying one child in each arm, she eventually made it to Colombia.
She is no stranger to adversity; in Venezuela she was married to a man who was very abusive, and she still gets headaches from the physical abuse.
Upon coming to Colombia she never thought she would find anyone willing to help her recover. But early on, her family was invited to a feeding program run by the local church.
As Diana got to know the members of the church, she was introduced to a Biblically-based trauma healing group. The group has given her a new opportunity in life.
As we were leaving, Diana quietly asked the pastor, “Were these the people who helped me and my kids?”
“Some of them, yes,” the pastor said.
As tears started to flow, she replied, “Thank you.”
