Maggie has a history of abuse. Past hardships combined with the irregularity of these last several months culminated in a rough summer for her. She was getting into lots of trouble. Searching for help, her mother reached out to Rachel Kruse, a long-time volunteer with the Tillicum City Life ministry site, and her husband to see if there was any way they could help. 

Rachel and her husband Andrew had been investing in this family, including Maggie’s siblings, for years and recently moved into their neighborhood. It was natural for Rachel to invite Maggie and her family to come to church with them at Tillicum Baptist. Though the congregation is aging, Maggie shows up regularly, even when she has to come alone. 

One Sunday Rachel asked Maggie what she thought of the sermon. Maggie said, “He talked about forgiveness and I realized I needed to forgive my friend.” 

Maggie had been struggling in a friendship with someone who was cruel to her and betrayed her. This person had never reached out to apologize or make things better, but Maggie was still moved to forgiveness. 

Whether it’s people from her past who have abused her, friendships gone sour, or people who have let her down, Rachel noticed that forgiveness has been an ongoing theme in Maggie’s life and encouraged her, saying, “God’s got to work through this, forgiveness is hard.”

God is working in Maggie’s life to communicate her value & worth, allowing her to forgive people who don’t necessarily deserve it while also building healthy friendships with new people. She now meets with Rachel in a small group of girls from the Tillicum neighborhood where they can talk through life and Rachel can point them to God’s love and truth. 

This is the benefit of ongoing, healthy, Christ-centered adult relationships in partnership with local churches — local youth have access to life-changing relationships, mentorship, and hope.