Finding Healing Through Community
Grenoble, France
One Collective | November 13, 2019
What happens when a community begins to see the needs around them? How can people find hope and freedom from problems that are too big for any one person to solve? — These are questions you have probably asked — and for so many people, hurting and alone, these questions can be the start of lasting change.
It’s that change that you make possible. When hurting people discover a community where the ways of Jesus find them in their pain, change begins to happen - for them and for the community. Here’s a story showing exactly that from Nick — A Catalyst serving in Grenoble, France.
“In Grenoble and across France life for people facing mental health challenges is desperate. On the surface, there is little evidence of hurting. With basic needs met, it is easy for inner poverty to go unnoticed. But under the surface, many live in despair and loneliness.
On top of that, France is a country with very few followers of Jesus, and the majority here just don’t know the hope He offers. There’s a woman here named Judy and her story is painfully common. When we first met her - she was far from home and on a limited budget, already struggling with the realities of everyday life — but on top of those things, Judy has been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder.
For her, every day is a challenge. Feelings of emptiness, fear of abandonment, and intense emotional reactions leave her overwhelmed and alone. Judy’s friends and family were exhausted. Countless hours have been invested by these well-meaning friends who are unaware of the specifics of Judy’s mental illness and ill-equipped to handle the consequences of its influence in her life.
When you are one of those people feeling overwhelmed and without support - it’s incredibly hard to find healing - or to find hope.
The reality is that people dealing with mental illness and those who love them are desperately in need of a community that empowers them to find healing together.
As these issues in our community came into focus, we started to think seriously about how we could come alongside them in order to provide a safe and healthy context for people who are battling mental illness, as well as the friends and family that
It is the role of a Catalyst to see the invisible to bring people together to be part of a lasting solution to care for them and show them the ways of Jesus. With this vision in mind, couples and individuals have begun to intentionally move into our neighborhood, churches are partnering, and nonprofits and government agencies are working together to create a community that will care for people like Judy and others. The impact here is growing every day, and it’s possible because of you.”
When a community is empowered to begin caring for
