Ministry Updates

 What’s actively happening that you might want to know about:

• Admin:
  
  • In June of this year, Hope Redefined celebrated our 5th birthday.  It is amazing to think of where the Lord has brought us over the years.  We would love for each of you to save the date of Tuesday, October 17, 2023, for our virtual fundraiser.  (On this underlined link/webpage, Lyschel shares a brief video invitation to the fundraiser.)  We will gather on Zoom at 7pm Eastern to hear from Lyschel and ministry leadership about the growth, vision, and needs of this community.  We HOPE you’ll join us!
  • Conferences and exhibits are the reality of the next few weeks for Lyschel and Hope Redefined!  On August 25th, Hope Redefined set up an exhibit at the Knoxville Addictions conference and was wowed/humbled to experience the community of those who have navigated addictions.  September 9th, Lyschel will be the keynote speaker at the S.A. Lifeline conference in Utah and will talk to attendees about the essential tool of healing in community.  September 13-16th will be the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) worldwide conference in Nashville.  Lyschel covets your prayers for protection and opportunities.
  • Lyschel has been invited by the Board to “maintain the course” and take time to focus on the things already in front of Hope Redefined rather than take on any new projects or invest in new opportunities.  The team is taking this season to focus on things which are important and developing visuals to better explain our programs.
  • Alicia continues in her role overseeing media and communications — have you seen/liked/followed the Hope Redefined pages on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, or Spotify?  Alicia is directing groups, writing blogs and helping with fundraising efforts.
  • Julie has transitioned to focusing solely on retreats and the upcoming fundraiser, connecting with the Retreat Team, and refining processes.
  • Lyschel has been intentional about developing the process of developing coaches.  In May she met with coaches to outline and train them in the Therapeutic Disclosure Process.  In July she led a two-part seminar called “From Crisis Care to Coaching,” teaching those on the Hope Redefined team and those in the APSATS coaching community about leading a woman who reaches out for crisis care into a space of ongoing care. 
  • Lots of behind-the-scenes administrative researching and writing is taking place — Lyschel continues to write the Abiding in Hope curriculum with hopes of re-writing some of Finding Hope.  In August, she and Coach Alison offered a new workshop on Values, which will be a great stepping stone to the Relapse Safety Plan workshop, led by Shawna and Lyschel.  
  • The Creative Team has stepped into serving as hands and voices within the community of Hope Online.  Pray for Faye as she leads the group of women; pray also that each person on the team will discern her role in ministering to other women.
  • Other teams are bubbling up, too, to help move the ministry forward and support women on this healing journey!  We’re thankful for the newly formed Donor Relations Team, the Media Team and the Prayer Team.   
  • Lyschel has been featured on a couple of podcasts recently.  Roane Hunter interviewed Lyschel on the God, Sex and Money podcast.  Melody Lovvorn  featured Lyschel and Jake captured Bonny, Pam and Lyschel tackling tough questions.  Most recently, Austin from The Gentle Path Project spent time with Lyschel, hearing The Other Side of Addiction:  A Partner’s Perspective.  Here is the LinkTr.ee for Hope Redefined.  Don’t forget to  subscribe to the blog.  
• Fundraising:
  
  • Save the date of Tuesday, October 17, 2023, @ 7pm ET for our virtual fundraiser.  
    
  • The scholarship fund is on hold until we raise more monies through our fundraiser.  continues to provide generously for women around the world who are needing support.  Already this year in 2023, we’ve given over $8,000 to assist women in their healing journeys.  Again and again we receive words of thanks from those who have received help!
  • Have you considered the opportunity to financially invest in Hope Redefined?  Click here to donate!  We hope to raise $50,000 this October — please join us in praying our Lord will provide.
• Client Support: (groups, coaching, retreat, and Hope Online)
  
  • The new curriculum of “Abiding in Hope” (a beta group designed to meet for 45 weeks) is well underway.  They are about to begin the topic of Boundaries, led by Leah Gillam.  The core group of 11 women are giving feedback to the process, but already finding deep community.  Reach out to Julie P if you have questions.
    
  • A Live Q and A workshop is coming up for those in the Hope Online community.  A discussion around families and parenting will be led by two different guests to the ministry on August 24.  Dr. Barb Steffans will talk to women at 11am ET while Jessica Eidens will talk to women @ 8pm ET.  Cost of a monthly membership to the Hope Online community is $16.99.
  • A couple of workshops will be offered later this summer:  A Values/Boundaries Workshop will be offered the mornings of August 12 and 26 for $175/participant, while the Relapse Safety Plan Workshop will be offered the mornings of Sept 30 and Oct 14 for $265/participant (which includes a midweek processing breakout).

Please pray for:

• Our Groups:  the long-term Abiding in Hope beta group continues with eleven women — they are about to step into a series on Boundaries.  Please pray against the schemes of the enemy as the content continues to be written.  Finding Hope launched on June 27th and is being led by Sharon. 
  
• Our Team Leading Groups:  Please pray for discernment from the Lord with what group support options will be available this year.  Pray for Alicia as she leads groups and for the group facilitators:  Emily Gatz, Lyschel Burket, Alison Ruhter, Sharon Jackson and Lynette Ramirez.
• For the community of Hope Online: that women will find safety and community as they begin connecting with others who are walking a similar road.  Pray, too, for understanding & ease around technology updates.  Join us in thanking God for the team of volunteers who have stepped up to serve on the Creative Team by speaking into the lives of the Hope Online community.
• For the coaches as they transition to coaching rhythms during the summer.  As well, pray they will continue to navigate coaching rhythms of how to lead women from crisis care (how many begin a coaching journey) to continuous care through betrayal trauma.
• Hope Redefined staff and leadership. Pray for our team to have unity as we work in a virtual environment.  Please pray for protection around our health and our homes — the enemy is not fond of the work that is being done in the hearts of women touched by the ministry.
  
• Upcoming programs of the fundraiser in order to raise tens of thousands of dollars to provide scholarships and programming for women.
• Upcoming workshops which are being written/rewritten including the Values Workshop, the Relapse Safety Plan Workshop and the Holiday Support Workshops.
• Upcoming conferences, especially where Lyschel is the keynote speaker in Utah on September 9th.  She’ll be focusing on community, but she needs protection from the schemes of the enemy.

• Active women in groups: 35

• Active Coaching clients: 37 

• Active Coaches contracted with ministry: 5

• Number of Intro Calls for previous month: 7

• Active Hope Online members: 146

• Number of participants at the Redeemed Hope retreat: March 2023:  12

  **Each of these numbers represents a woman in the midst of pain and trauma.  Will you pray for these women of Hope Redefined?  (Last updated 6/5/2023)

When an intro call is schedule with a woman looking for support, I never know the story I’m stepping into.  Sometimes, I realize even an emailed response can be a breath of fresh air. . . especially to a woman overseas in Norway.  After responding to her request for more information, this woman wrote, “Dear KK, Thank you so much for your answer.  God knows how much I needed this mail from you just tonight.  I just started crying, feeling I’m not alone. . . God bless you and your work!”  Again and again we see stepping from isolation into community to find support is one of the ways we offer care in the lives of women who reach out to Hope Redefined.  May our Lord use us as hands and feet and ears to minister to women.

Insights from March 2023 retreat participants:

“This was not a retreat.  It was a spiritual healing intensive.  I didn’t realize how much I needed it.  But the emotions just flowed in that open space, in that safe space.  Returning home was a jolt, the fogginess was real.  It was one of the most beautiful, excruciatingly painful but beautiful experiences of my life.  You thought of everything, I appreciated all the service and details — like being chauffeured from the airport, doing exercises with others rather than by myself, etc.  I’m so thankful thinking back and what it brought to me, personally.” — a participant from Texas 

“I feel a sense of detachment and separateness from all the unhealthy ties with my husband.  I moved from anger towards my husband to see him as God’s child.  I was able to look him in the eye and be excited for what the Lord is doing in him.  I wasn’t planning on forgiving him anytime soon.  We’re still separated, but I have a new perspective.”   — a participant from Tennessee

“I’m still so blown away.  I didn’t have to do anything.  You took such good care of us.  That matters to me.  I don’t know that has happened in a really, really, really long time.  One of the biggest takeaways is that it felt really special and sacred.  I’ve been telling people, ‘When you go to prayer, can you grab your people and let them be with you when you pray out loud?’  Also, I know the enemy wants to distract me with a mind that is foggy and hazy and dizzy.  Literally, so much got lifted [during the retreat] and every day slowly is being lifted.  It’s not completely gone.  I asked for prayer [with others] over my body for the first time in my life.  The enemy wanted me really foggy and dizzy during the retreat, but [the enemy] didn’t win!” — a participant from Arizona

“I had no idea what to expect coming into this.  But was blessed beyond measure!  It was wonderful to be in a group of women so profoundly beautiful.  I think the beauty to me was in the vulnerability and true desire to be Christ-like.  I felt true community even though I’m more of an introvert especially initially.” — a participant from Tennessee

Through laughter and referencing the emotional exhaustion, one participant from California described, “I felt like I had a truck run over me when I got home.”

“I actually was looking forward to getting home.  I felt lighter.  I have more self-confidence.  I’m more vocal.  My husband has even said, ‘You’ve said more to me this week than you’ve said in the last five years.’ I can tell a huge difference and it feels good.  A friend said, ‘I didn’t even recognize your voice on the phone.’  The change is visible.” — a participant from Texas

“The retreat was A-MAZ-ING!  Amazing God.  Amazing Time.  Adjectives which describe are: Refreshed.  Renewed.  Restored.  Released.  Redeemed.  Really?!  It was hard to accept being served.  I’m so used to serving others and pouring into others.  I’m always the last one I think about.  I felt so much love from the team that I want to come back again as a participant!”  –a participant from Ohio

“For me, the retreat was more like a revival.  [Upon returning home it’s been] a week of trying to unpack everything and a week of a lot of attack.  I thought [when returning home] life would get easier and easier, that I wouldn’t be attacked at all.  Yet, I’m realizing the more I want to help people and talk with others about Jesus, the more I’ll get attacked.  I thought it would be smooth sailing and it’s not at all.  It’s a comforting feeling, that I know that something is changing in me.  I covet your prayers.” — a participant from Missouri 

“It’s amazing what God can do in a weekend!”

Spring Retreat 2024:

Save the date of April 3-7, 2024, in Kingston, TN! 

October 2022 Retreat 

Thoughts from Toni, lead intercessor:  “The October retreat was covered in prayer from beginning to end.  Several days before the retreat the team was given the names of their “buddies.”  Prior to the retreat each participant was contacted by their buddy and prayed for specific to the needs of the moment.  When the team arrived at the retreat site they armored up as God instructs His people to do in Ephesians 6

• Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,  and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.  And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.  With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

. . . and they walked the property praying, beginning at the entrance and making their way to every bedroom (participant and team member).  Intercessors were assigned the job of praying throughout every session and for every session leader.  At this retreat the LORD gave the intercessor team Ezekiel 36 as a foundational prayer.  

• The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east).  The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.  He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was trickling from the south side.  As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a though sand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep.  He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was up to the waist.  He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in — a river that no one could cross.  He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”  Then he led me back to the bank of the river.  When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river.  He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea.  When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh.  Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows.  There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the rive flows everything will live.

As each session led the participants deeper and deeper into the River of Life, the team prayed.  Chains were broken, freedom was restored, healing took place.”

March 2022 Retreat 

Anyone who’s ever served on a Redeemed Hope Retreat will say that, whether it’s their first retreat or seventh. Every retreat is the same, at least in one aspect. If Jesus doesn’t show up we’re toast. And yet every retreat has a different feel or theme, if you will. This retreat was spiritually hard to prep for. The story of Gideon was referred to often. There were 12 participants with hard stories and we felt lacking as a team in numbers. Even so, over the coming weeks God would continue to dwindle our team. The participants were locked in. Plane tickets were purchased. We were moving forward.

Redeemed Hope is a retreat for which no one wants to qualify. So many women come in skeptical but desperate for healing. So many have spent untold hours and dollars in counseling and still find themselves with gaping wounds and questions. So again here we are, a Gideon-esque team, that is aware we are toast without Jesus. Because, the truth is, there is no counsel that can fix these pains in a weekend. Maybe even a lifetime. But God.

Isaiah 61 has always been a lighthouse for the Redeemed Hope Team and participants but this weekend the scripture was particularly highlighted. The power of the “instead “. Jesus reminded us that his own calling would be fulfilled in this scripture as he quoted it himself in synagogue over 2000 years ago. As we walked out our calling as “little Christ’s” we were called to release the captives so they could receive from God the great insteads: 

Beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, a garment of praise instead of spirit of despair, a double portion instead of shame, a joyful inheritance instead of disgrace. 

Our calling as priests and servants was to walk our sisters down a path towards these “insteads”. We did so by walking them into the light and sharing our stories, by praising and worshiping God, by acknowledging hard truths, through grieving and tears, through spiritual housecleaning, forgiveness work, breaking unhealthy attachments, through celebration and testimonies, through laughter, rollicking laughter, and a whole lot of scripture and prayer.

When Jesus honored our meager offering of a few fish and loaves he multiplied our efforts beyond what we thought would be possible! He does it every time! Countenances were changed, hope was given, perspectives were shifted from worldly to godly, soul weights were lifted, some people shared their stories or aspects of their stories for the very first time because they felt safe, friendships were made, worship was restored and godly tools and weapons were given to each participant to take back into their world. Our weapons are not of this world as scripture tells us. Of the many spiritual weapons God can give us there were several that were highlighted this weekend: The word of God, joy, humility, laughter and words of grace. 

Lastly, these 12 ladies received reminders of God‘s lavish love over them on Sunday, reminding them that they are beloved, holy, righteous, made clean, redeemed, adorned and bought by the most precious gift ever given -Christ’s own Blood – which sealed these truths and the work that was done.

A quote from Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien is so fitting for this retreat, “ I wish it need not happened in my time. “Said Frodo. “So do I,” Said Gandalf “ And so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time given us. “ And that is where the journey for these ladies continues. They look forward with Hope and the knowledge that Jesus can “make everything beautiful in its time”, as they surrender it to Him.