Abuse is not an easy subject to talk about. There is so much damage done by abuse and the perpetrators left free to roam especially in religious circles. It is something that is not dealt with easily and takes years for some individuals to even begin to live life with dignity and freedom, some never recover. I am an abuse survivor but would not be if God had not intervened and as I find healing for my own pain I see that there is hope and I want to help others in any way I can. My days are often rough and nights sometimes even worse because of the things I went through. My first reaction is to turn my face away from pain of any sort but as I heal there is more courage and strength.When I first left the Mennonite culture I would not have considered myself abused, rather I was to blame. Now that has changed and I have learned to call it what it is and because of that I want to help others. If you know anything about the Mennonite culture there is generally little if any affection and much sweeping things under the rug or gas-lighting as well as all kinds of other abuse. After 4 years I'm actually beginning to get connected with others who have left the culture all the way or even just in part and I'm learning that I'm far from the only one but rather it is a wide-spread epidemic that spreads around the world into all cultures. The hardest thing for me though is that in the 'plain' circles most of it never reaches the surface or even gets attention and if it does usually the abuser is allowed to go free and the victim is traumatized more and with that in mind here are some ways you can perhaps get help for yourself or others or even just step up and spread awareness and help those around you...