| | | | Newsletter | December 2025 | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | We are an organization of women volunteers passionate about reaching out to the broken women affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse or any other type of brokenness in need of mental and emotional healing. | | | | | | | | | |
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| | As we step into December—a season of reflection, gratitude, and giving—let us not forget those who carry silent scars into the holidays. At Mending The Scarred, this month reminds us that healing is a gift worth sharing, especially with survivors who need hope the most. While lights and laughter fill the air, many still wrestle with the darkness of domestic violence, and your support can be the spark that leads them to restoration. Together, let’s close this year with purpose, compassion, and a commitment to be the hands and heart of change. | | |
| Carmen Alonso, Founder and Executive Director |
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A Shared Journal Entry: December Reflections from a Survivor | I used to dread December. While others unpacked stockings and strung up lights, I was just trying to keep the pieces of myself from shattering further. The carols, the laughter, the warm lights in cozy windows—it all felt like a world I was no longer part of. I was living in a quiet war zone, wearing a | smile like armor, praying no one would notice how hollow I felt inside. But here I am. Writing this. Breathing, healing, growing. And if you're reading this and still stuck in that in-between space—where you want to hope, but it still hurts too much—I see you. I've been you. Christmas now looks different to me. Not because everything is perfect, but because I’ve started to reclaim what was stolen. I’ve learned that joy can exist beside pain. That healing isn’t always loud—it can look like saying no, choosing rest, or lighting a candle just because you deserve a little warmth. | | | | | | | This season, I invite you to give yourself permission: To not have all the answers. To say no to toxic people and yes to peace. To create new traditions that bring you joy. To feel the full range of your emotions without guilt. To remember that survival is precious—and thriving is possible. | | | | | |
| Mending The Scarred has been a lifeline for me. A place where I wasn’t just another statistic, but a story worth redeeming. Through their support, I found community. I found strength. And slowly, I found myself again. So if you’re somewhere in the middle—still aching, still hoping—let me whisper this to you under the glittering lights: You are not broken. You are becoming. And that, my dear, is the most beautiful thing about this season. The world celebrates a birth that brought light into darkness. Let this be the year you believe that light can rise in you too. | | |
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Healing, Stretching, Becoming As we step into December with hearts full of reflection, we find ourselves asking a curious question: Where has 2025 taken us—and what has it taken from us, too? This year has not tiptoed. It arrived like a wave, crashing into our mission with urgency and purpose. And we—Mending The Scarred—did not cower. We stood. We grew. We stretched. From January to December, we watched seeds we’ve planted over the years begin to press up through the soil. Quiet conversations turned into courageous stories shared aloud. Our community expanded—not in numbers alone, but in depth. Each survivor's voice carried a ripple of restoration, a new layer of truth-telling that this world so desperately needs. | | | | | | | We saw transformation take on new forms: 🎀 Workshops and outreach events offered safe spaces for raw honesty—like our group meeting in May, featured in the June newsletter, and a powerful leadership workshop highlighted in August’s edition. This year also opened new doors to serve in meaningful ways. Our most recent outreach to a high-security shelter—now pictured in our Gallery—created a quiet place of care and connection for women and their children living under heightened protection. Another outreach, shared in our November newsletter, reflects the steady ways our community continues showing up with dignity, warmth, and support.
🎀 On the third Monday of January we launched a Spanish-speaking chapter that now meets every third Monday, forging its own rhythm of testimonies and tears. (You may remember the first photos in our April newsletter—just three months young and already daring us to dream bilingüe.)
🎀 Earlier still, the March newsletter brought all four campuses to your screens, featuring a portrait of leaders committed to walking alongside stories still being written.
🎀 The Jacksonville retreat, held at the end of March, was a beautiful display of teamwork across all four campuses, made possible through a gracious partnership with a local church. It stood as a vivid picture of unity—leaders serving side by side to create space for healing and vision. The moment was featured in our July newsletter with a group photo capturing leaders from every campus, speakers, church partners, and several of the attendees. 🎀 Group Meetings have long been spaces where shared pain turns into shared faith, and quiet rooms fill with the sound of restoration. For the first time, our September newsletter offers a closer look inside these gatherings: how faith, reflection, and community come together to bring healing and strength. This closer look includes photographs that illustrate and explain what we do and why we do it, offering a glimpse into the heart of our mission. What makes our approach especially meaningful is the way spiritual renewal and emotional growth walk hand in hand—a connection supported by years of research featured in our September issue, complete with a bibliography for those who wish to explore and grow even deeper.
🎀 Our online presence—with devotionals, resources, and the growing reach of mendingthescarred.org—has become a sanctuary for many who were searching in silence. Over 3,200 people have visited our website during this year, finding encouragement, biblical truth, and a reminder that they are not alone.
🎀 Newsletter subscribers have doubled, and each subscriber matters. Every edition shines a light on a different part of Mending The Scarred—our leaders, group meetings, special events, and more—offering a message of encouragement or a moment of spiritual insight. We invite you to explore our newsletter archive and be inspired by the many stories and moments God has used to uplift hearts. | | | | | |
| But here’s what might make you pause: healing doesn’t always follow our plans—but it always leads us closer to purpose.
For every step forward this year, there were a few setbacks. One of the hardest was the cancellation of our much-anticipated Annual Retreat in June. What was planned as a public event suddenly became a private gathering when our original plans had to change. But in a quiet Airbnb, something unexpected unfolded. Our “backup plan” turned into something far better—a leaders’ retreat that was honest, refining, and powerfully led by the Spirit. In the end, it didn’t feel like Plan B at all. It felt like Providence. See the recap in our July newsletter.
There were moments we questioned if the work was working. And yet—we kept going. Now, standing in December, we can see the outline of the bigger picture: the way God has been stitching together moments of heartbreak with threads of hope. As we look ahead to 2026, the question becomes: Will we continue to lean into the discomfort of transformation? | | | | | | | Because real healing—lasting healing—requires courage. It demands we tell the truth, even when it trembles. It means returning to the places we thought had broken us and discovering that they are, in fact, the birthplace of something divine. | | | | | |
| So here’s to the year we've had so far—full of fire, full of grace.
And here’s to the continued journey ahead, filled with new opportunities to mend, serve, and rise.
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21 Faces of Faithful Service: A Year-End Thank You to Our Leaders
As we close out another year of purpose, healing, and hope, we pause to honor you—our incredible Mending The Scarred leaders.
Whether you led a small group with grace, mentored with compassion, taught with wisdom, organized events, captured moments behind the camera, coordinated logistics, prepared meals, or rolled up your sleeves to set up and tear down—you were there. Often behind the scenes, always essential. |
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From left to right in alphabetical order: Ahysha, Alyssa, Bonne, Cynthia, Daune, Diana, Doreen, Edna, Frances, Ivette, JoeAnna, Lisette, Liza, Lydia, Maribet, Mildred, Myrna, Nancy, Nina, Rebecca, and Wanda. |
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Each of your faces in this collage tells a story of faithfulness. Of showing up when it wasn’t easy. Of giving your time, heart, and gifts not for applause but because you care. Because the mission matters. Thank you for being the hands and feet of love. Thank you for walking alongside us in every season. We see you. We appreciate you. And we couldn’t do this without you. Here’s to you—our 21 faithful leaders. You’ve made a difference that can’t be measured. |
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Healing Together: Finding Strength in Community | You’re Invited This Christmas Season There’s something truly special about coming together during the holidays—sharing a warm meal, exchanging stories, lifting each other up, and simply being seen. At Mending The Scarred, our gatherings are more than events—they’re sacred spaces filled with encouragement, honest conversations, and real, heart-to-heart connection. Especially during this season of hope, we’d love for you to pull up a chair and feel at home with us. Can’t join us in person?
You’re not alone. Our weekly online prayer group continues to be a beautiful refuge—a place to grow in faith, find support, and stay connected, no matter where life has you right now. Whether you're healing from trauma, navigating a new beginning, or just needing a safe place to breathe, we’re here for you.
This season, give yourself the gift of connection.
Visit MendingTheScarred.org to explore all we have going on—group meetings, programs, prayer circles, special holiday events. There’s something for everyone, and always room for one more.
You don’t have to walk this journey alone. This Christmas, let’s heal together. Our Programs | Group Meetings and Events | Media Gallery | | |
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One Gathering. One Family. One Celebration.
This December, all Mending The Scarred campuses will join together for one special celebration—our Christmas Luncheon!
Instead of our regular monthly gatherings, we’ll unite as one community to enjoy an afternoon filled with connection, gratitude, and holiday cheer.
This luncheon is a private event for women who currently attend—or have previously attended—any of our four Mending The Scarred chapters, along with their invited female guests. We look forward to sharing this joyful time with familiar faces from every campus and celebrating all that God has done through our ministry family.
There will be no regular monthly meetings at individual campuses this month as we gather together to celebrate the season as one. It’s a beautiful opportunity to reflect on God’s goodness, rejoice in our shared journey, and enjoy meaningful fellowship as we prepare to enter the new year.
Please RSVP by emailing us at info@mendingthescarred.org on or before December 13. .
Include your name and the number of guests joining you—your response helps us prepare thoughtfully and warmly for everyone attending. |
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| | | | | | | | | | | Moments That Gather Us As we look ahead to the new year, our Save the Date! page helps you stay connected to everything happening across our community—monthly group meetings, recurring events, weekly prayer calls, upcoming themes, WhatsApp groups, and special gatherings.
It’s a simple, engaging way to see where we’re meeting, what we’re focusing on each month, and how you can stay connected and involved—wherever you are. | | | | | | | | | |
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| All photos are shared with permission. Each woman pictured is either a healed survivor who is no longer in danger, or a volunteer supporting the cause. |
| A Christmas to Remember
Our 2024 Christmas Luncheon was filled with laughter, love, and the joy of being together as one Mending The Scarred family.
From heartfelt hugs to shared meals and festive cheer, it was a beautiful reminder of the warmth that comes when hearts gather in gratitude and celebration.
We can’t wait to do it all again this year! |
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Together, We Can Break the Cycle of Trauma At Mending The Scarred, we believe every woman deserves the chance to heal, rebuild, and thrive after trauma. Many women survivors of domestic violence and other hardships face overwhelming challenges—homelessness, financial instability, and emotional wounds that feel impossible to heal alone. That’s where we step in. We provide real, life-changing support to women in need, offering counseling, job assistance, emergency aid, food, clothing, medical care, and access to education. But we don’t stop there—we’re working toward a secure, transitional housing program in Central Florida, giving survivors a stable place to stay while they rebuild their lives. This mission isn’t just about meeting basic needs—it’s about empowerment. We want women to move beyond survival, to become confident, self-sufficient, and ready to build a bright future. But we can’t do this alone. Your support—whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word—can change lives. Together, we can provide a fresh start for women who need it most. Will you join us? | | |
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Sponsor a Survivor Imagine the profound impact you can have on a woman who has endured the unthinkable—abuse, trauma, and heartache. Your sponsorship isn't just a donation—it's an investment in the restoration of a life. It’s a chance to show a woman who has suffered that she is seen, valued, and worthy of the care and healing she so desperately needs. Every session provides a safe space for her to process her pain, rebuild her self-worth, and reclaim the strength that trauma tried to take from her. | | |
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Spread the Healing: Invite Others to Join Our Journey Every journey toward healing becomes more powerful when shared. If our newsletter has inspired, uplifted, or encouraged you, we invite you to share it with others who might benefit as well! Encourage your friends, family, or colleagues to subscribe. Together, we can extend the reach of hope, understanding, and connection to even more hearts. Let’s grow this community of healing—one invitation at a time. | | |
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Got Questions? See our most popular FAQs! | | |
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