ShopWell Story: Working With Your Hands
Originally posted by ShopWell Apprentices here.
Take a moment to pause and look at your hands. What do you see? Are your fingers long, nails delicately manicured or are your hands rough and calloused? Do your hands carry the deep creases of decades passed or are they soft and supple? The way your hands are formed tells a story – your story. Our hands are the face of what we do; they speak to the fruit of our life.
For so long my hands felt dirty, even angry, after years of being trafficked. They were forced to participate in unmentionable acts and carried the scars, visible and invisible, of those regrets. Even after being set free, everything I did was still tainted by the memories of the past. There was no pride in what I accomplished, somehow my history still overshadowed the present.
When the time came and I was finally safe and living at The WellHouse, I began to heal. My body and life entered a process of restoration. My scars remained, but the light of hope was dawning. After three months of rest and healing, I started working at ShopWell, the WellHouse work therapy program.
“But now, Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter, And all of us are the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8
My very first day on the job I began to work with my hands – creating, refining and finishing clay jewelry. As I held misformed lumps of clay, I saw my own life reflected in its chunky surface. Hour after hour, my scarred hands worked the hard masses and they became softer. Little by little the clay began to hold together and look like a thing that might be usable.
It had been so long since my hands had participated in beauty, since my life had reflected light and not darkness. But daily I watched something worthless transform into something delightful, and I could begin to see and acknowledge the work of God in my own life.
My skills grew and with them creativity bloomed alongside a freshness to life. Coworkers and customers took notice and encouraged my work. A gentle blossom of gratitude and pride in what my hands could accomplish surfaced and with it the scars from my years of pain softened. I was becoming new.
At ShopWell, we as survivors are able to work in an environment that fosters change. It is all around us and we become witnesses to the change in each others’ lives. The transformational process is both challenging and encouraging. Some days the hard work of change is grueling, but being around others going through the same process holds us accountable and reminds us of the beauty to come. It is an honor and a gift to walk alongside one another and cheer each woman onto greater things.
Learning the skills to succeed within a workplace environment is crucial to surviving outside of The WellHouse and a life of sexual exploitation. People are very gracious when it comes to providing for the needs of survivors, but that can only last so long. An individual must learn to provide for themselves and begin to earn a living wage. At ShopWell, we strive to provide the tools and resources necessary to empower women to live free of the vulnerability of financial dependence upon another. Through learning, hard work, and determination our women learn to be overcomers and achieve their vocational goals.
As of today, I am still creating, designing, and flourishing as a part of the ShopWell team. My hands are now fruitful and create beauty instead of pain, peace instead of violence, and gentleness instead of anger. Each day I am reminded of God’s goodness and faithfulness to finish what He has started. I am deeply grateful for the transformation and opportunity to write a new story for myself.