 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Advocates For Abused Women
Watch This Video
| Windows Media |
  |
| QuickTime | |
| MPEG |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|||
|
A San Antonio pastor who endured abuse in her own life has opened a house of hope for women of similar circumstance, wanting not only to shelter them, but to transform their lives. Kim Riemland has more. |
|||
 |
|||
 |
New Items | Additional Stories | Archives | ||
SCRIPT:
(Locator: San Antonio, Texas)It’s called the Magdalena House … and for some, it is seen as salvation.
Anide Joseph, Resident: “It brings a lot of teary eyes at times, not because we’re sad. It’s because we’re happy.”
The house was the dream of Denise Barker, a victim of abuse herself. Volunteers made it a reality in May 2007.
The Rev. Denise Barker, Magdalena House: “I know what it means to not feel good about yourself, and to not feel worthy, and to not feel that you have anything to offer, and so I didn’t think any woman should ever feel that way.”
As a ministry of University United Methodist Church in San Antonio, it serves as a transitional home and is intended only for women serious about changing their lives.
The Rev. Denise Barker, Magdalena House: “The women and the children who come here can live here for two to three years, and we want them to not leave here until they are able to become self-sufficient.”
Twenty-eight-year-old Anide Joseph shares the home with two other families.
Anide Joseph, Resident: “You just feel at home. The only difference is the person that you were abused by is not under your nose, is not there. It feels like home.”
What sets the house apart is the emphasis on education. A woman cannot live here unless she goes to school.
The Rev. Denise Barker, Magdalena House: “We believe through education, a woman’s opportunities open up to her.”
Now in her second college semester, Anide aspires to become a dental hygienist or radiologist.
Anide Joseph, Resident: “One day I could just be able to provide for my kids, and have a better job, better career. That way I wouldn’t have to worry or depend on a man, like I used to depend on my husband.”
That’s just the kind of success Denise Barker is banking on – one family at a time.
TAG:
Barker has plans to build four other homes on the five acres surrounding the Magdalena House. She hopes one day to house 15 families.
For more information, call the Magdalena House at 210-561-0505.
Also, see: Magdalena House offers new start for abused women