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Prayer Request/Advice

Kiptoo

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First of all, thank you. Thank you to the courageous survivors who come to this forum to help other survivors (and yourselves). You are also a great inspiration to me and other secondary survivors (if I am really "surviving" right now).

My "story" (as briefly as possible) is that I am an attorney from the USA. Two years ago I fell in love with a girl from a very poor village in a very poor country. I will call her "Preciosa."

From the beginning Preciosa told me that I was too good for her. She said that there were things about her past that she was trying to change. She didn't understand why an attorney from the USA would fall in love with a girl "like her."

The last two years have been challenging. Our relationship was long distance. She was ready to talk about marriage, but not to call me her boyfriend. It is my dream to marry her, but every time anything went wrong (problems at her university, with her family, with her job) she would decide that me and her could not work. She would say that she "tried to love me," but she didn't know how to love anyone. She would push me away and we wouldn't talk for months.

More than once she left me to rush into the arms of her ex-boyfriend or someone else, but we always came back together and she never got help. Eventually she opened up to me about her past. She was sexually abused as a child, she saw her father rape her mom, and many other awful things. She had never told anyone else.

She told me that the reason she pushed me away was because she thought one day I would wake up and realize she was not good enough for me and leave her. She has hurt me so many times, and even now she is with a guy who drinks, smokes, gambles, and tries to act like a "gangster." It's like she has decided that is all she deserves.

I want to be clear, that when things are going well she is the one pushing for us to get married as soon as possible. She has introduced me to her entire family (I traveled to her country several times) and would introduce me to people as her future husband.

She struggled to say nice things at the best of times. One time I was going to visit her and (I later found out) she was telling all of her friends "my fiance is coming!" Meanwhile, she told me "don't forget friends don't hold hands." I felt like she always had to keep me "down."

She is in the USA now, and dating this other guy. Right before she told me about him she had been calling me again. She was even calling my parents and telling them she wanted to come. Then a close relative of hers dies, she got depressed and pushed me away.

I am not someone who frequently claims that God "speaks" to him. This is my first time. However, three weeks ago I had a vision of Preciosa when I was in church. She was worshiping Jesus. I fell to my knees and started to cry.

I think I am just looking for advice on how I should be praying for her. I'm never sure what she wants or needs. I hardly even know or understand what I have been through in the last two years. My friends think I am stupid for believing in her and believing in God's ability to heal her. We are not talking at the moment. The last thing I told her is that it would hurt me too much to call her when she is seeing someone else, but she can always call me. She hasn't.
 

Kristen.NewCreation

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Hi Kiptoo,

Being a survivor, at times it can be difficult to be there for us. It's that I need to be wanted and loved, but then you'll see how bad I am and leave me or something to that effect conversation in our heads... at least that is the convo I had with myself.

I know that the fear of being hurt again is great, and without treatment to work through the fact that there are kind and safe people out there, it's difficult to have a healthy relationship with another person.

Being the supportive person who is in a dating and marriage relationship have incredible journey. Sometimes patience is tested. Lots of confusion at times, not understanding because you're doing everything you know how to do, but they still aren't trusting. That process of trust after abuse is such a difficult process.

You may be already doing this, but make sure that you take good care of you in the process of being her supportive person, and should the relationship turn again to a dating relationship, even more so.

I'll definitely be praying for you and for your friend.

How to pray? I know I needed prayer for peace, for less fear, for more trust, for healing, for finding the right treatment person to get healing, for being open to accepting there are safe people, to know that the abuse was not my fault and that just because it happened before doesn't mean it's going to happen again. Those are some things that were big things for me that might help you with a direction to pray.

And as far as God's ability to heal? He is so good. I am living proof that He provides healing from trauma. Doesn't mean that I don't still struggle sometimes, but it doesn't consume my life, and it's a rarity, rather than an every day issue. So don't give up on her or on praying for her. Do what God calls you to do. If he placed her on your heart to be there for her, and to continue to be there for her, then do so. It's not stupid. Your relationship could be a lifeline for her - you just may never know that - nor may she until she looks back years later to see that you gave her a "safe" relationship that helped her know what that was.
 
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drstevej

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I would suggest you talk face to face with a trained Christian counselor who can talk with you about the impact of the kind of trauma this girl has experienced and your present situation.

Chaplain Steve
 
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Kiptoo

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Thank you both for your replies. I want to update you. I have not called my friend since she is seeing the new guy, and I was trusting God that if she was supposed to hear about my vision then she would call me when she was ready. Today she called. I was nervous to tell her what happened, but I told her. It was a HUGE blessing. She told me that she has even been talking with her housemate about going to church recently. I could hardly believe it when she told me that. She went as far as to say that she has been living in the darkness for too long. I would appreciate any prayers for my friend. In addition, I would appreciate prayers that as I try to support her I would not define myself by HER love for me, but by GOD'S love for me.
 
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First off thank you for sharing your story..
I am a survivor and was assaulted by my father.. I personally think the vision you saw of her worshipping Jesus is beautiful. I would try to ignore anyone else's opinions on it especially if it gives you faith and god will reward you for your faith. Being a survivor I can tell you that without Jesus it is impossible to have a healthy relationship. She has wounds that only He can heal. Right now it sounds like she is settling because she probably thinks that she deserves someone that treats her bad, I know I did. It probably scares her to have a guy that actually loves her and treats her good because she doesn't understand why you treat her so good. If she's like I was she probably feels unlovable and doesn't know how to accept love.. I will keep her in my prayers.. I personally would pray for gods perfect will to be done.. Peace, healing, and for her to receive His unconditional love for her. Because until she receives His love she'll never be able to truly love her self or others. I hope this helped!
 
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