Hearts of Hope helps abuse victims

Posted: 6/09/06

Hearts of Hope helps abuse victims

By Laura Frase

Communications Intern

WHITNEY—Stranded in small towns throughout Hill County with the closest help 30 miles away in Waco, abuse victims struggled with nowhere to turn—until Carol Raulston offered a heart full of hope.

Raulston started Hearts of Hope of Hill County, a ministry designed to rescue victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, after a good friend lost two children due to family violence. Hearts of Hope has an office at Fort Graham Baptist Church in Whitney, where Raulston is minister of crisis care and counseling.

“We’re getting the word out that there is somebody right here to help,” Raulston said.

Hearts of Hope links victims to community programs that aid them with housing, utilities, food, clothing and medications.

“We help them set their lives back up,” Raulston said.

The ministry also counsels victims and their families and offers emergency relocation.

Not all victims start anew after counseling with the ministry. Many victims return to the abusive situation when the abuser apologizes, professes love for the victim and makes promises that won’t be kept, Raulston said.

Statistics indicate it takes about seven times for a victim to leave their abusers for good, she said.

“Fear has been instilled in them,” she explained.

For victims who haven’t left the dangerous situation, the ministry gives them emergency cell phones that can only dial 911. Hearts of Hope works closely with local law enforcement to help stop domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Often in abusive situations, the abuser keeps the woman isolated, with no car, no job and no control of money, Raulston said. Many lack the skills to apply for a job.

Unlike other programs that seek to move people from being victims to becoming survivors, Hearts of Hope goes one step more and helps them become victors, Raulston said. As survivors, they still can be vulnerable, but becoming victors means they have overcome the situation, and accepting Christ is a major part of this step, she explained.

During the healing process, victims must learn to make it on their own, but most women coming out of domestic violence don’t have jobs or high self-esteem. Christian Women’s Job Corps has teamed up with Hearts of Hope to fill this need by offering Bible studies and teaching job skills and life skills in a Christian context.

Hearts of Hope has helped many families since its creation in 1999, and the ministry already has helped 56 families—about 150 people—in just the first half of this year.

“We bring hope, healing and restoration,” Raulston said.