Difference Makers - Summer 2022

Here at The WellHouse, we have welcomed many volunteers who have stood alongside us, cared for us, and prayed for us since the very beginning. We would not be where we are without the support of our volunteers. They not only help in our day-to-day activities, but they also promote fundraising, help raise awareness for human trafficking, and build relationships and mentor our residents.

We have a special place in our heart for Penny Billings here at The WellHouse. She has been a volunteer for about three years now, and we are very thankful for the vast work that she has done. Working with ministries like The WellHouse, you learn quickly that while plans can be a good thing, opportunities from God are so important to look for, and that is exactly how Penny came to us. She first began volunteering in 2019 and began leading a freedom group. While she wanted to volunteer with us sooner, she had to wait on God’s timing, and sure enough when everything fell into place, she became a great friend to The WellHouse.

After leading the freedom group, she was asked to become a mentor to one of the ladies here. With the encouragement, love, and support from Penny, that resident graduated in 2019 and has since moved off the property, and Penny is currently mentoring a second resident. Penny mentioned, “Mentoring has been one of the greatest blessings of my experience with The WellHouse.”

The more time Penny spent here, she realized she wanted to do more. The Lord called her into the pageant world in the fall of 2019, and while doing this, she has been able to increase awareness for human trafficking. She mentioned that it might not sound like much, but at the age of 55, it is a huge deal for her. Penny now has a platform to reach the public and can use her voice to shine some light on the world of trafficking. Penny had never competed before, and she knew it would be hard work, but since she stepped foot in the pageant world she has been a huge advocate for us.

We are very blessed and excited to continue our friendship with Penny Billings and see where this will take her. She is currently in the process of forming her new nonprofit, His Three Strands. She says, “With the Heavenly Father, the organization, and others, we can work together as three strands to end sexual exploitation and human trafficking.”