Becca Stevens - Love Heals

I am a great admirer of Becca Stevens and her work and have been fortunate to connect with her in various settings. In her, I see a truly old soul in this incredibly modern package, and any conversation with Becca feels like an invitation to experience history, poetry, nature, God... When Im reading her words, I feel like Im tapping into this rich, ancient wisdom delivered by someone who I could just as easily spend hours chatting and laughing together with over coffeeor tea in her case!

Love Heals transports me to that chair beside Becca where I am listening to these great but simple truths revealed through her reflections. This book is just an extension of the way that she naturally ponders creation, ponders nature, ponders life and in turn engages us to participate in her journey. Everything and everyone has a purpose, and everything works together in the most amazing community. Even things that are scary have their place in the exquisite order of the world that Becca celebrates. Love Heals is true. And in this book Ive found a beautiful place of encouragement and hopea meeting point for us all to experience community, healing, and love.

AMY GRANT

I love Becca Stevens and love what she has created with Thistle Farms. This inspiring insight into her daily life is so valuable and necessary. Amidst all the noise and chaos of our world, Becca finds God in simple, beautiful, quiet places, and tells us we can too.

KIMBERLY WILLIAMS-PAISLEY

2017 by Becca Stevens

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

Published in association with literary agent Roberta Croteau.

Photos on is care of Hands Producing Hope, Rwanda. Peggy Napier took the remainder of the photos.

The quote Grant that your love may so fill our lives... from St. Ignatius of Loyola in is taken from Woodeene Koenig-Brickers Praying With the Saints (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2001), 118.

The quote It is true that this sin is the cause... from Julian of Norwich in is taken from Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, trans. Elizabeth Spearing (New York: Penguin Books, 1998), 80.

The CBS study on stress mentioned in can be found at the CBS News website, at http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-stress-kills/.

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version). Copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NRSV are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible. copyright 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-9455-3

ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-9456-0 (eBook)

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This book is dedicated to Marlei Olson and Hal Cato, who lead with healing grace.

In addition I am grateful for thistle farmers such as Regina, Carlana, Holli, Cary, Shelia, Katrina, Dorris, Tracey, Gwen, Donna, and countless others who have grown this community that allows love to heal.

I am changed by their love.

L ove heals has always been the tagline at Thistle Farms, the community I founded more than twenty years ago. Thistle Farms began out of gratitude and hope for all the mercy and healing Id experienced myself and my realization that, in the end, love is the most powerful force for change in the world.

After I was ordained in 1991 and started working as a chaplain five years later, some friends and I opened the first sanctuary for women survivors of trafficking, addiction, and prostitution. Five pioneers came into that first house, called Magdalene. It changed not only their lives but minedramatically. That community was a powerful witnessthat acceptance, commitment, and love help women find healing from some of the oldest and deepest scars this world has ever known. After a couple years of meeting with survivors and witnessing miracles of healing love, I knew that I would be doing this work for the rest of my life. The survivor-leaders were living with a new power and grace that I knew could potentially bring healing healing throughout the world.

After four years, we realized women had to be economically independent in order to gain control of their destinies. So we started what is known as a social enterprise, where the workforce itself is the mission of the business. We named it Thistle Farms, and we began by manufacturing and selling all-natural candles and body balm. The line of healing products has expanded to more than thirty offerings and brings in millions of dollars in revenue to support the growing mission. Thistle Farms grew from an initial team of five women to a global enterprise that employs more than eighteen hundred women survivors via global trade.

We have also helped start more than sixty sister programs throughout the United States and offer outreach to seven hundred women annually. About thirty-five women at a time live in the community. Each resident has two years of free housing that offers sanctuary and also includes job training, medical care, education, therapy, and guidance for spiritual growth. There is poetic justice in producing healing and nourishing products for the body, all crafted by women whose bodies have endured years of abuse.