Over the years, our team in Arizona noticed that many of the families and individuals they served had experienced some kind of sexual abuse or human trafficking. Many others had not yet been exploited but were enduring other factors such as poverty that made them and their children highly vulnerable to trafficking.
In response to this need, Compassion Connect Arizona is launching its own Design Studio in San Tan Valley on Tuesday, November 20! Initially this location will be open one night a week and will serve middle and high school girls, but in January the team hopes to bring on more volunteers and expand to another night of the week to serve younger girls.
The vision for Arizona’s Design Studio is to equip 15 passionate volunteers to serve 60 young women in 2019. As this model launches in San Tan Valley we are eager to see God work in the hearts of young women and the passionate volunteers who are rising up to serve them!
In honor of the grand opening, we chatted with one of the Arizona Design Studio’s inaugural volunteers, Dee Owens, about mentoring, faith, and her own story of overcoming abuse.
On Why A Design Studio Is Needed in San Tan Valley
“The area where the Compassion Care Center is at is called little Mexico. It’s a pretty bad area with chronic poverty, drug abuse, alcoholism, and a lot of hopelessness and despair. I live 15 minutes from there and in my neighborhood, and really everywhere I look, girls are just looking for someone to listen to them. I have so many girls at church who call me grandma, some of them I don’t even really know. They confide in me, and I always just love on them and if God is leading I will tell them my story.
My father abused me in every way–sexually, mentally, physically–that’s how I was raised. My father was an alcoholic and a drug addict. So 40 years ago, when I was 16, I went to social services to see if I could get out. The person looked right at me and said, “No one wants a 16 year old so your best bet is to stick it out until you’re 18.” So I did. I endured my father’s abuse for two more years.
I love Christ, and I know Christ has made every, every difference in my life. And in fact he is the only person who can make a difference in our lives. He can use us in such a way, even our past experiences, even the bad ones, to be able to pour into and love somebody else and give them some hope that in Christ your world can be changed. I knew that God was calling me since I was a very little girl, so when I become a Christian it was no surprise to me. I just knew that was what I was being called to all along.
“He [Jesus] can use us in such a way, even our past experiences, even the bad ones, to be able to pour into and love somebody else and give them some hope that in Christ your world can be changed.”
I had a very warped sense of sex because my dad was molesting me, and so I thought if you like a guy you give them sex. I lost my virginity at 14 and the guy not only didn’t love me, he didn’t even like me. I was devastated and had to process all this with a young 14 year old mind. So when the girls at church come and talk to me, I am real with them and I say “this is the exactly the way the enemy wants to rip you off.””
On Getting Involved
“I have a friend named Jill Sherwood who cuts hair on Thursdays at the Compassion Care Center. She took me over to the Center and I started volunteering little by little by little. At this point I’ve been volunteering there for a good 7 or 8 months.
I’ve been a mentor for a long time and have been in church since I was 18. I started helping with the Apache Junction Library’s Fun Van at the Care Center, which was basically just opening the door, allowing them to do their thing, providing them a snack, and locking up. But I also had an opportunity to connect with the moms. Then I did a little work in the thrift store but that’s not really my gifting because I’d probably give everything away for free if I could! We also had a summer reading program and I was a mentor mom for that and I loved it.
When Compassion Connect’s Portland leaders came to talk with some of the Care Center volunteers in August I really didn’t understand why I was invited to the meeting and I kept thinking to myself, “Man, Lord what am I doing here? Well Lord, I’m just going to sit and see what you have for me, and then when they showed the video at the end about Adorned in Grace my heart just leapt out of my chest and I knew this is exactly why God wanted me there–it was for this video. I didn’t even know we were starting Adorned in Grace down here at the time.
I went home and told my husband if I could just have an opportunity to mentor and form relationships these girls, that would be right up my alley. A week went by and I was volunteering at the thrift store and asked Jennelle (Compassion Connect Arizona’s Regional Director) if I could find out more about the Design Studio. She asked me if I wanted to be a mentor and I said yes! I’m just thrilled.”
On Her Hopes and Dreams for Design Studio Attendees
“I’ve realized already that our Design Studio doesn’t need to be perfect–it’s a work in progress. We have girls already, we have mentors already, and we have others from the churches who want to help.
I want the girls to feel valued, extremely valued because that’s something I never ever grew up feeling, and even now the enemy still tries to rip me off and I have to take that to God in prayer.
I just want the girls to know that they are valued, that they are so important, that they are so loved, that they can be honest and know that this is a very non-judgmental place and we want to help in whatever capacity we can. We are hoping that this goes beyond just a Tuesday night thing so that we’re able to pour into them and build relationships more and more.
“I just want the girls to know that they are valued, that they are so important, that they are loved, that they can be honest and know that this is a very non-judgmental place and we want to help in whatever capacity we can.”
Right now we have 8 girls set to attend and many of them have already experienced poverty, unstable home lives, substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, and other pretty traumatic things.”
On Volunteering and Meeting People from Other Churches
“When I went in at first to volunteer I was scared to pieces. I thought “what if I mess up something?” And now I’m just like “you know what, I love Jesus and I really believe that he teaches me, and I know I won’t make a mistake in Christ.”
As long as you have a heart to love on the people, you don’t have to have everything together. If you just come and volunteer once or twice a month, you’re going to fall in love with it. Sometimes I’m there [at the Compassion Care Center] two or three times a week, and I love it. I could probably be there every day, all day long. There is such a huge need. Everyone who comes through the Care Center, they just need to be loved on, to be shown the deep love of Christ.
It is truly a privilege to give back all the things God has given me. I have time to give and I know God is interested in us giving our time and talents, so I feel blessed to be part of this.
I have met so many people from different churches and worked with them in different roles, and it is incredible. I’ve met a lot of awesome people from other churches and it’s been a blessing.”
On Mentoring
“I honestly think that things would have been different for me if I had a mentor. I was always searching for someone to give me advice, and my mother, God bless her, didn’t know how. But I think it would have made a ton of difference. If I would have had someone I could go to and be completely honest, that would have made all the difference in the world. And that is why I’m so excited about doing this. I feel super privileged to have the opportunity to pour into these girls.”
Learn more about getting involved in a Design Studio near you (currently we have locations in SE Portland and Clackamas, OR, and San Tan Valley, AZ) or starting one in your neighborhood!
