Journey of the Broken: Saved by Grace

By Kathy Boeckman and Heather McAnear

What happens when a young girl is marked by trauma and abuse? Can a life ever recover from horrific images of the past? Can God take a broken journey and not only bring healing, but use the past to impact the present... for good?

These questions and others will be answered in the pages of this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664226234

Kathy Boeckman

Kathy is a survivor of childhood abuse and broken relationships, yet God has done more than she could have ever imagined because of her journey. Through the power of God, Kathy was able to finally forgive her childhood abuser, move forward in health, and now helps countless young woman pursue their own freedom and healing from brokenness. The House of Healing offers multiple programs including: Authentic Girl Mentoring, Tools for Change and Equine Experience, all with the goal of helping young ladies find healing from the past, the tools to live a healthy life today, and a vision for their future potential. For more information about House of Healing visit: www.house-of-healing.org

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Copyright © 2021 Kathy Boeckman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher

make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Requests for information should be sent to:

House of Healing, Inc.

7300 Britton Road NE

El Reno, Oklahoma 73936

www.house-of-healing.org

Unless marked otherwise, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy

Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011

by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,

Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2622-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2621-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-2623-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904516

WestBow Press rev. date: 4/2/2021

CONTENTS

Foreword

Chapter 1     My Humble Beginnings

Chapter 2     My Broken Childhood

Chapter 3     My Rebellion and Escape

Chapter 4     My Rescue

Chapter 5     My New Beginning

Chapter 6     My College Degree

Chapter 7     Home Sweet Home

Chapter 8     New Season of Growth and Training

Chapter 9     The Making of a Ministry

Chapter 10   Stories of Healing

Acknowledgments

Meet The House Of Healing Founders

About The Author

FOREWORD

I first heard Kathy Boeckman share the story of House of Healing at a women’s retreat in Eastern Oklahoma. It was a story birthed from her own life experience, a simple story of a life rescued and later a life that would courageously step into a calling, offering hope to those who needed it. Through Kathy’s eyes, those who needed this hope were young at-risk teenage girls.

This was something I understood well. It was crystal clear to me. My life, too, had been profoundly affected by the people God had placed around me during my tender teenage years. I was a good kid but a very lost kid. My darkness was hidden; I was hungry for approval and sought it. My goals were empty and shallow as I looked to the fleeting pleasures of this world to find some sort of fulfillment … even if it was only temporary. I struggled with insecurity and knowing my purpose. I had parents who loved me, but the influence of the world was greater.

In my freshman year of high school, God placed a strong Christian family in my life to point me toward Christ. They helped me find the firm foundation that would change my life forever; they showed me hope through a life lived with God. If not for the intervention of that family in my life, I would have stayed on a dangerous path that could have led to devastating consequences. Yet the foundation I found through time spent with godly adults changed my life forever.

That night at the women’s retreat, as I introduced myself to Kathy, I felt in my heart that we could be truly effective working together … but exactly what that would look like was not yet clear.

Four years later, I heard Kathy share again in a Sunday morning class, this time with an even more fervent passion. My heart was stirred once again, and I knew I had to arrange a meeting. I was a young mom of a baby and a toddler and felt limited as to what I could do to help this incredible ministry, but I knew I wanted to be a part of what God was doing.

Before we met, God put it on Kathy’s heart that I should serve on the House of Healing board of directors, and that was just the beginning of my six years of service at House of Healing. Eventually, I had the immense honor of serving as the program director for a mentor program Kathy and I developed.

During those years, House of Healing’s address was our own kitchen tables, where we shared countless smiles, laughs, tears, and deep conversations with teenage girls we were honored to serve. Some girls stayed weekends with us or we’d get to attend a fun concert together. There were many days when I would run errands with a teen girl in my front seat. We lived life with these girls and their families, and because of the time spent with them, we saw transformation.

The power of a safe adult investing in a teenage girl is profound. The surmounting pressure teen girls face during these years ought to make the strongest individual take pause. Peer pressure and an insatiable desire for acceptance often leads to drug abuse, alcoholism, and sexual activity, which often leads to anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicide. The need for young women to understand the truth about who they are is dire; their very lives are at stake.

I remember a sunny Tuesday in the spring of 2012. Kathy called me to meet her in the parking lot of a grocery store to give me some supplies for an upcoming event. My tall, strong friend who rides horses and Harleys had tears in her eyes. She had just dropped off a girl she was mentoring, but it wasn’t the girl’s home, for home was not an option for her, and this place was even less safe. It was too much for Kathy, her heart spilling over with compassion. I was honored to be there for her to cry and share her heart with, and I was thankful she knew she was not the only one in this world who wanted to do something to bring hope and healing to teenage girls.

I know we are not alone. Many who read this will nod their heads in agreement because they have a sister, daughter, cousin, or friend who needs the kind of help the House of Healing provides. Many of them were this girl … or are that girl right now. Hear me when I say that there is hope.

As you read this book and the story unfolds of God reaching into Kathy’s life, consider that He also wants to reach down into your life. He is calling your name; He is the only hope, and He is our rescuer. He takes our brokenness and makes beautiful things. There is forgiveness for those who turn to him and a new life. There is freedom and a firm foundation. He is our rock.

I ask you, dear reader, to consider the profound gift of life that God offers through His Son Jesus Christ. There is eternal security in a life found in Christ, and it starts the moment you say yes to Him. At House of Healing, we