The conference was well-attended, with about one hundred people in the audience. There was a mixture of members of the congregation and residents interested in listening and learning from our experiences.

One memorable moment that stood out to me was when, after coming down from the stage, I was approached by a woman who reached out her arms to hug me. She told me she was in the process of returning to an abusive relationship with her husband, but changed her mind after hearing my story. She’s a mother of two, living in her sister’s house, trying to survive independently.