WINGS Note: With the upcoming dissolution of the AFTT group who have been very active in supporting therapy assistance to CSA survivors, other groups have stepped up to fill the void. Bridges and Balm is one such group. B&B are limited to the US at this time but hope to expand to other countries. They are able to issue tax receipts to US citizens.
The anonymous offer to match individual new donations up to $200/person is very generous and a great opportunity to double one’s efforts to help survivors.
Bridges and Balm demonstrate financial accountability here:
https://www.bridgesandbalm.org/funds-overview-activity
Donations can be directed to
Both Funds
Resting/Transitioning Worker Fund
Child Sexual Abuse/Sexual Abuse
Whichever Fund Needs it Most
Donate Now and Have Your Donation Matched!
Our fellowship has always been built on informal support and mutual care. But today, the challenges facing our vulnerable members have grown more complex and urgent. Bridges & Balm emerged as a response to these evolving needs—a structured lifeline for those who have experienced the deepest wounds and most profound transitions.
The holiday season is a wonderful time to consider our broader fellowship family. Bridges & Balm stands as a beacon of hope for survivors of sexual abuse and transitioning workers who need critical support during difficult times. Bridges & Balm is a charity that focuses on the fellowship community and provides an ongoing external funding mechanism dedicated both helping survivors of CSA/SA find compassionate care and healing they desperately need as well as assisting transitioning and resting workers with their basic living expenses.
Your support matters – and now it can go twice as far!
Now is a great time to contribute to those in need!
- Donate once, make twice the impact: An anonymous Bridges & Balm donor will match donations from new donors through the rest of 2024 (up to $200 per donor). You can donate once and make twice the impact!
- Tax benefits: Donations to Bridges & Balm qualify for 2024 tax deductions through Dec 31. We are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt charity, and donations to Bridges & Balm can reduce your taxable income for those who itemize deductions.
In the coming year, our focus will remain on helping resting and transitioning workers with basic living expenses and survivors with therapy costs, often collaborating with other survivor charities to maximize our impact. With recent changes at AFTT and WANIDAK, we anticipate a significant increase in demand for survivor therapy assistance in 2025 from Bridges and Balm. For a review of 2024 and our 2025 initiatives, please see our latest blog post
The holiday season presents unique challenges for our community members who are alone, facing financial hardship, or dealing with trauma. Your year-end donations can make double the difference while potentially qualifying for tax benefits. We hope you will support us in our goal to help those with unmet needs in our fellowship community.
For more information, please visit the Bridges & Balm Website.
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Is advocates for truth the one which helps with Canadian needs of people who need help because of sexual abuse?
Since no one else is speaking on New Years day, maybe no one would mind if I stuck in a few words. It is not new years day for everyone mind you. The Chinese calendar starts on January 29th or something like that. It will end the year of the dragon and begin the year of the snake…followed by the year of the horse, followed by the year of the sheep. Did the Chinese know something we in the western world don’t? Are the Chinese maybe on a long vision, and the western world on a short one? And fair enough, the Chinese calendar repeats every 12 years, but did they envision that sooner or later if they repeat the 12 year cycle enough times that the twelve tribes of Israel would sooner or later look at their calendar?
Did anyone want to set aside their new years banqueting and celebrations long enough to go and see Jacob’s prophecy of his youngest son? People are celebrating what on this new years day? You say they are celebrating the new year? The new year that is about 12 hours old right now? Wow the populace has such good insight.
Did anyone have any new year’s resolutions for themselves? Or did anyone want to have any inkling of any new year’s revolution? Could there be stuff we don’t know about?
Did anyone want to sing that song of in 1814 we took a little trip? Or maybe change it to in 2025 we took a little trip. Or maybe some might be inclined to take a little trip to 1613? Chapter 16 and verse 13 that is. Blame me for thinking that the platforms of mankind’s speeches and sermons might not find a freight forwarder willing or able to provide next-day delivery of the platforms to the many Mansions. The many mansions Jesus spoke of that is. Blame me that Euphrates is drying up and turning into a platform. A spring board for a spiritual spring where the frogs sing their mating calls. Please pardon me. Freedoms of man’s speech is one thing, but selected freedoms of selected man’s speech is quite something else.
And please, I beg everyone’s fairest pardon; but are there not a lot of people having faith in their bunkers they have constructed for themselves? The bunkers that will save them from the acopolyps? Save them from the voices of the little footprints through the dunghill? Being underground will spare them from the cries of the victims for sure. I think the Accountable Care Organizations have legs. But there is a lot of opposition to their labors in the upper reaches of spiritual gamesmanship. And what I would like to know is, what happens when everyone in their religious/spiritual bunkers get loose bowels all at the same time? Maybe they should have relieved their bowels of mercies at the dung gate? After all, the Mercy Gate has been closed for some time in Jerusalem I understand…for whatever reason. Taking words from Travel Israel, Jerusalem’s Old City walls, built in the early 16th century by the Turkish Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, have eight gates. All but one (the Gate of Mercy) still serve Jerusalemites and visitors streaming to its markets, and sacred and historic sites.
Why on earth?
But those in the church that have hunkered down thinking the bunker will save them from having to listen to the cries of the victims? Neutrinos seem to be the only particle of light that penetrates the earth. I have been underground in the mine at Creighton where neutrinos are measured at 6000 feet below surface. It is quite hot there. I have also been underground in the Naica Mine in Mexico where the temperatures are 60C even with ventilation. Go on youtube and type in Discovery Channel and Naica. Anyways, neutrinos give off very little light, their substance only measured by instruments far greater than man’s eye can see. My other question is, when the lights go out in the bunkers, the pleasure of groping becomes a new set of circumstances, no? I have been in underground mines around the world, and know what it feels like to be alone and turn my headlamp off. There is a little trepidation to take another step until the headlight gets switched back on. People can have faith in the power plants of religious societies and nations, and the grid of their friends – but think it is all being over taxed at this time. But whatever. The spirit coming out of some river bottom somewhere will fix it all. Fix it all up as fine as the hair on a frogs back.
Thank you to the neutrinos, the victims…and thank you to the three ladies that decided it was time (with a little nudge I am sure) to start measuring them. But the ones in the bunkers emphatically insist they are watching! What the flip are they watching? Are they watching who gets the bigger ration? The all clear signal may not be for quite a while…and what if a certain need of the group runs out in the meantime? Mankind has a way of turning on it’s own, and eating their own kind. When the Uruguay rugby team’s plane crashed in the Andes in 1972, the toothpaste didn’t last quite long enough. I understand there is some bad breathe coming from the platform at meetings.
There are those that are trying to build bridges and apply balm to the wounds. Do we not all want to be one of them?
Or do we want to blow up bridges and bomb the wounds? Stellar on you all! A most ‘righteous’ stellar choice! Buckle up and brace yourselves. Check in the rearview mirror for a couple of reasons. But the one in the driver’s seat just may have a grin on his face. But you say there are two in the cockpit, both with controls? Oh well. We will see how banking left and right at the same time works out. We will have to wait and see, won’t we?
If the people insist on having a leader, pick a berry on the vine…a lone berry. Life won’t be easy for the lone berries on the vine. But the lone berries do not underestimate what the Vine is and the strength of it. The strangle hold of the vine is a long gameplan. A long event horizon. A black swan in the making…from what I see.
I just thought of something. Something from many years ago. Not sure why these things come back to our remembrance at times. George Walker was walking, or should I say weaving his way up our street. You would go by our house to get to the convention grounds if you wanted to go to or from town. Anyway, my mother looked out and saw George kind of taking over the sidewalk from one side to the other, and was a little worried about him. My dad often mused that maybe God was keeping George around long enough to see the coming of Christ. Anyway, I suppose George was about 130 or so at the time, and I was 8 or 10 or something. My mother kind of suggested that maybe I would go help George incase he could not find his way to the grounds and got lost. Maybe my mother thought she was not quite the right one to help him. And I was kind of shy in helping that old worker. Maybe I could see myself and George laying in a heap – a little kid trying to keep an old man twice as big as myself steady and keep him from tripping and falling and going for a tumble together. Thinking about it, maybe I should have given him a hand. Maybe he did not know what a child’s hand felt like…or maybe he forgot that at one time, he had been a child also. I take solace in remembering what many men and women of stature have forgotten. Or should I say what they are trying to dump in the depths of the sea and forget about.
Play us a song, you are the piano man! Let us remember life for awhile, while I drink my tonic and gin. The abundance of it all, and man takes no thought in squishing it as a bug between their fingers.
Happy New Year everyone! Try your best at least on the happy part. But the word happy I never remember ever coming from the platform. So whatever. If you can’t be happy, then pray to go lucky I suppose. I remember MY giving his testimony at Seagrave convention maybe 6 or 7 years ago and he mentioned being happy and think he said something about us being a happy people. Heehaw. Figured he might have needed courage to use a word like that. Him being an elder and all. People raised an eyebrow in March 2023, but why have most of the eyebrows lowered again? Or am I misinterpreting it all and many eyebrows have sunk? Hard to fathom the depth of another man’s meditation. That is, if there is any depth at all to be sounded. But pick a lone berry, and leave the cluster behind. If you will. Interesting times; for both the pro and the anti. The anticedents are coming to light. And they might not like it. They may even be shocked. And to those worried about their forefathers -don’t worry. They will be provided for. Because it was not their opportunity to see what this generation has been given the privilege to see. But don’t take my word for it. Search it out for yourselves. And I will not suggest people pray about it. They are either praying or else they are playing. Should I suggest otherwise? What do people think I am? Mad? Not mad no (I don’t think), but a little disappointed in myself. Just trying to make up for lost time I have squandered. And eternity goes both ways from the present, no? If you have faith that is. Just look at your wedding band. If you have one. Or look at someone else’s. Or if you chucked the one for another. Or if you just hid yours away. Is there a start and a finish to the ring? But the polished pine box tells me we will be a child but once, yah twice if we are fortunate…or willing.
Hope everyone had a great Christmas and Santa brought just what everyone wanted. No? Oh well. Shucks! Maybe he will listen this year. Have always wondered how he managed the three lists – especially the nice and naughty list.
Did I have too many words? I apologize to those that do not like to read. Well, I don’t really apologize. Those are just words that I use some times to make it look like I care. But I do feel for those that do not like to read and do not want to read.
So I will try to make this expose a little shorter. No guarantees. Not many guarantees in life.
Could I ask someone that is close to a worker, maybe suggest a little content for one of their meetings.
We have heard quite a bit about Joseph being falsely accused. Could a worker maybe expand on this story and message a bit. It is not good from what people say to just home in on one aspect of something to drive a certain message home.
So yes, Joseph was falsely accused for sure. If you read Josephus account of this portion of the history of Jewish antiquities – well let me put it this way – a quite interesting read. Potiphar came back from his journey and heard ‘the’ story and began to hold his wife in even higher esteem. And who really knows all the story? We say we know the story, but do we? We are only given a few words in history’s document. But I am confident, Joseph was a complex human also, just like the rest of us. And no question at his age he would have been desiring a friend. Who knows? Who knows what happened in his heart, mind and body at that time? But is seems evident, there was a point where there was no question, it was time to run. But whatever – I am getting off track.
But here is the backstory to that part of that story. Joseph was also a victim. A victim of his own family though his father pined in hope…and never lost that hope.
So Joseph, now locked in a prison had one friend to turn to. And I don’t doubt, he seriously turned to God as his only friend. Joseph had been a dreamer (which drew the ire of his brothers a bit), but I would think, just my thought, that while in prison, that is where he was given more dreams and given more ability to interpret those dreams. Not only his own, but those of others. And what was the outcome of this? His dreams in prison first began to give him insight into what was happening close around him – a few others that were in prison with him got insight into these dreams. And they proved out not as fairytales.
Then the next step – he interpreted (not without further dreams of his own request I am sure) the dream of Pharoah – the king. And that became the saving of Egypt and the surrounding land. His family was a beneficiary within a much bigger picture – and it started with their brother that was a victim at their very own hands.
And what did the family do so they could survive? They heard there was bread in Egypt. The ministry at this time, and those following them, is intent on staying in Canaan. We will see how all that works out for them. If anyone does not have their eye on Egypt right now, then likely the bible, the group/organization, and the ministry is your master. And anyone saying Egypt is a place to keep our eye off of, will at the least rail against one of the two olive trees…the one being from spiritual Egypt.
And any that don’t want to read – go back to your Netflix and sermons to deaden the pain of languishing in Canaan. The Netflix and sermons will move our mind at it’s own good pleasure. In the reading is what gives our mind exercise. The Holy Spirit is given an opportunity.
Yes Mark you bring out some good thoughts on Joseph, the victim becoming the blessing. I suspect whether you have heard it directly or not that God has sent that message around the world. One interesting point you bring out about the story is how difficult it is to know every aspect about what went on. We can speculate all we want but should realize we don’t really know the whole story. Too often we hear a story, form a hard opinion, then hear a little more about the story and then realize our hard opinion was based on incorrect or incomplete facts. I know of two recent stories that I heard about and felt very glad I didn’t form a hard opinion until I heard the rest of the story.
agree Amen – Joseph left his travail behind and became the blessing. The outcast of the family became the blessing. He had the insight to see that God had a purpose in it all. And interestingly enough, it was Joseph that had to work on his family a while after the reunion to help them see the purpose in it all and lift them from the pit of guilt. Their own money found back in their sacks seemed to be the first step of their bad memory unravelling. And the family became reconciled to Joseph…but not without heartache and the humbling of the family first. A snail can drag a lot of granules of sand into a pile in 20 years. Joseph had been put out of the house, but now after 20 years the tables were turned on who now owned the door and the knockers thereof.
And millions of snails over a period of 1800 years? It ends up a mountain, no? A mountain circled for what reason I ask? And dare I ask why certain writings of man have justified the building of this mountain? And painstakingly protected and guarded this mountain? And seemingly willing and wanting to defend this mountain with their eye teeth? Is this mountain just not a huge spoil pile? Do people know there are drones with onboard instrumentation nowadays that can fly around and over a spoil pile and determine within a few cubic meters how much spoil is in that pile? And determine within a few dollars of what the spoil pile is worth? And due to them understanding their mining process know what it cost them? So sure, lets examine a few granules and say they don’t belong there. But I will not be the judge of that.
And I need not explain all the form of this mountain as I view it from a mile off (~1.61 km in Canada speak) – a couple/few very heavy hitters are starting to make out the form and expanse of this mountain of granules and have no fear in speaking. Their seeds seem to be growing quickly from somewhere. The resistance from the anti-victim groups is looking like it may be running up against a hard place. Is some big guy trying to divide up the spoil and lay the mountain low? Load it on barges and take it out to sea?
But on the solid rock mountain I saw the sheep starting to climb. And I tried to shut someone else’s car off and I could not get it to shut off. And I left my parents car and went to inspect a gated storage yard…and what looked like tires formed/molded of tar (or some sticky black substance like tar when I poked my finger at one) were stacked all over the place.
Watch for further disruption of a different sort. The disrupters seem to be getting their sea legs under them…because the comfy-cozy, corporate religious seats and strategies of all sorts have not been cutting the mustard. All Gen Z’s fault! Jusss kiddin’. But the boom generation is definitely stretching and taxing the skin of the python as it works it’s way through the entrails of the python. If you need a name for the python, call him Monte. The complacency and entitlements of spiritual society has ever advanced over the last 70 or so years. This to me looks like a perfect storm in the making. Hold on to your hats and your wastecoats. We all thought our own way perfect, and storms only happened over there. Interesting times where neurological tunnels are bored through earthy social platforms to blast off into space to link up the stars.
hi Mark . I’m not too sure what to do with all those grains of sand that the snails bring in. I do think the Lord can take care of that and make sure things come off just as He has planned they should. Not related but a neat story I just heard. Two sister workers were on our way from another state to visit with a dyeing man. They stopped in another town for linch and while waiting in line were surprised to see our sister workers walk in with another couple. They had a nice lunch together with the couple. By the way the man was a victim, that we keep hearing that the workers never reach out to. There are no coincidence in this life.
Thank you Amen on this note.
This is good that those workers are trying to help. Without knowing their struggles, the road for the victims has been not been good. I also see it is taking something for any worker than wants to help and is reaching out to any victim – they must be trying to shoulder some blame for all this and show the victims that somebody in the ministry does care.
And the grains of sand. Yes, I think the Lord is going to take care of that pile. Not likely in the most favorable way for religious entities, but whatever will be will be. I may take a break from writing and let the news articles keep me posted. I said before I am breaking, but maybe this time I will be true to my word. Who knows. Tomorrow is a new day. And who knows what the news this week will bring?
Amen… I would be more grateful to hear how they reached out to the man (victim)….not when he was dying but when he was living…living with the pain and trauma of abuse.
@reaching out. I am very thankful for your reply. I had to reread what I wrote and will take responsibility for the fact you were confused about them visiting a dyeing man but also had lunch with a man who had been a victim. The dyeing man was never a victim and is a prince of a fellow we all admire. The victim only recently made known what he suffered as a child many years ago. He has been given heartfelt care and fellowship by all in the area both friends and workers. Your reaction to my original post does illustrate what Mark and I were discussing about Joseph and how so often we make a conclusion about events without a complete understanding of the situation. I’ll take the blame for your misunderstanding. I should have been clearer.
Amen, Thanks for clearing up my understanding on that. We need more good stories.
I don’t want to be critical about your viewpoint on coincidence as we all have viewpoints. I’m sure my viewpoints are mostly my own as well. Ecclesiastes says time and chance happens to all. (Luke) Jesus in his parable about the man who fell among thieves says “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.” So my viewpoint remains that there are coincidences or happenings by chance in life. It’s great when these can work out for good. God can also do his work in the chances that are ours. The priest and the Levite never made good on their chance.
Good points. Thanks.
Golly Reaching Out – I had read Amen’s comment a couple times and thought I had the who-is-who sorted out in what he wrote. Now reading your comment, and going back and reading Amen’s comment again, I do think I may have had it wrong. Maybe my suspect comprehension thing.
Nevertheless, I still give it to the workers to go visit him if the dying one is one of the victims. Evidently, time is running out for reconciliation on this matter. I just hope the workers were not going to read him his last rights if that was the case.
Anyway Amen – maybe clear this up for Reaching Out and I. Thank you. I know I can confuse people in my own writing. I don’t mean it. And I also am curious now to understand the rest of the story on Reaching Outs question if the dying man was a victim.
Writing and reading can be helpful ways of bringing clarity, and nowadays having and recording conversations can be helpful, too. This conversation (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4Y7NNnZSNU) is worth listening to all the way through, but the section from about 55:40 for at least 5 minutes onward is particularly hard-hitting.
It’s from a conversation of the Ex-2×2 Support Group admins – Kari, Kyle, Abbi, Mike – with Dr Janja Lalich, a recognized expert in leaving high-control groups.
Thank you so, so much to everyone who is working to bring transparency, and help us to heal from damaging experiences in our faith community whatever they may be.
Bridges and Balm. Bridges and Balm. Bridges and Balm. Repeat that a hundred times. When you are done that, and you still can’t remember how to say it right or it remains not something worth repeating to you because that phrase is not spoken by the bible, repeat it another 100 times.
There is still a bit of banqueting going on. Not much maybe. It is turning into a solemn feast. A solemn feast tardy in the arrival. A big guy just getting his toe wet in what has gone on in the houses. Who knows about the big guy’s own house? I don’t know. But his own house evidently he is not worried about.
I know there are Samsons. Many Samsons in the house. But they have both their eyes, their hair is trimmed nicely, and their tie matches their suit. Many are raising the golden goblets in the house, toasting each other about their spiritual prowess and business acumen and savvy in past deals. Spiritual doctors and lawyers and such. But the goblets are being refilled in earnest. And some Samsons are sitting in the loo, sighing and wondering when the cramps will subside and they can get back to raise another glass of wine. To toast with their friends and be ready again to toast the king.
Early on, I kind of figured the houses of the rising sons would implode in on themselves. Now I am beginning to watch in a little different way. There may be a story built on top of the ground floor first story. The chief cornerstone may have been seemingly placed in the foundation in the beginning, but about 1800 years ago, the enterprise started to align things to their own values. The building may be settled on whoresome foundation blocks of wood, hay and stubble with some precious stones being wedged in above grade to make it look good. The sparkle of the precious stones caught people’s eye. The merchants were always quick to point out the precious stones. “See here” they said! And saying “see here’ is another frame of reference for saying “don’t look there”.
The problem with the Samsons in the house is that none of them are really civil or structural engineers. They have some certificate saying they are, but they are not aware of structures and know diddly about the supporting pillars. Structural analysis has not been their desire and subsequently not their forte. Some right earnest huffing and puffing has begun from the anterior of the house though.
And oh, @Reaching out, my hat is off to you in how you have positioned the words in your last comment Jan 7th. I could only wish that I could speak more in these simple, easy to understand words that leaves no doubt. Actually, it is not true about the wishing part. I take that back. That was just a word I threw out. I have moved past the religious/spiritual enterprising wishing wells of salvation. Please continue Reaching out with your words. If, and as long as He wills. Never underestimate the influence of your word, but please try not to get proud of it either. This thing is beginning to smell and look like a rose in a hurry. A rhinosirose.
Please confirm that this arrived.
Will there be 2024 donation statements sent out? Otherwise, where can we find our receipts for tax purposes?
Thank you.
J Eckel
J Eckel, in case it’s useful to know, I received an email confirmation of receipt immediately after donating in 2024, and then I also received a donation statement for tax purposes from B&B in the middle of January (and from United Open Arms in early February).
If you believe you donated and haven’t received any confirmation or receipt, you could contact the group directly using the contact information on their website: https://www.bridgesandbalm.org/ “Contact Information” link at the bottom of the page