Wendy W, twice abandoned by her mother and molested by a church member, is a study in human resilience buoyed by faith. Here Wendy details how the elements in her Dreamscape came about as a result of our conversations together:

“I have always been camera shy. All the photos I have of me could fit on an 8 x 11 page. For a 40-year old woman, that’s not very many photos. To even have pictures to share is amazing. In 4th grade I am told my biological mother is dead, and Dad leaves me on my paternal grandparents’ doorstep. At 19, I get the shock of a lifetime that my biological mom is alive, living an hour away. At 19, I’m abandoned twice.

In one photo, I am a little girl with a smile on my face, but not a full-fledged smile. Why was I holding my dress like that? Did I want to look pretty, or was I told to hold it like that? In the montage, I see so much hope in that little girl. Wanting to be loved and eventually finding love through Christ.

I’ve always loved the clouds, sunsets, rainbows on the Oregon coast. I take walks on the beach by myself. Scream, cry or whatever. It’s a place to let go. The rainbow, it brought tears to my eyes. How it appears to float down from Heaven just to me; God’s promise that He will never destroy the world again. It was just wow – trying to describe how you feel is one thing, but seeing it in a picture. Oh, look at her standing up! It was just a very vivid reminder of what God has done in my life: the journey from grief to grace.

When I’m struggling with something big, I find my best time to being alone with God is at the beach. I’ll find a piece of driftwood, reach out and touch the throne of God.

Every little girl’s dream is to have a mommy and daddy; not someone who hurts them and lies to them so that we grow up into a 40 year old woman who also craves that. Maybe this little girl thinks she has it.”