Beyond Survival takes healing internationally

Dec 9, 2024 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

The staff and volunteers at Beyond Survival Ministries are ready to help whenever and wherever needed.

They have professional counselors, pastoral counselors and care counselors on site at the McMurray Ministry Center and offer a variety of programs such as small groups, classes, workshops and social events.

Their flagship ministry, A Time to Heal Beyond Survival, however, is creating change in Washington County and across the globe.

“We train leaders here in Washington County and all over the world on how to help people who have experienced sexual abuse, trauma, rape and sex trafficking,” said Director Sarah Kapis. “We were in Thailand recently, speaking with other ministry leaders – those going into specific locations where they know women are being trafficked – and we train them how to talk and walk with them.”

The ministry was founded by Executive Director Sue Willis to work with sexual abuse victims, but soon it became apparent that everyone was surviving something.

“When we experience a traumatic event, we deal with it in the best way we can at the moment and often what happens is, we stuff it. It eventually becomes a pressure cooker and at Beyond Survival Ministries our goal is to restore hope and transform lives,” Kapis said.

It doesn’t have to be heading into a known human trafficking area.

Kapis said help is always needed close to home.

“We receive calls and emails daily. In the church congregation, in our grocery stores and simply walking down the street, are (struggling) people,” Kapis said. “We want them to know there is a place to go to get the help they need. We want to come alongside you and train others to help those in need too.”

There are currently more than 500 trained, certified leaders in the Time to Heal program across 10 countries. They host formal training sessions in Washington County twice per year; however, any time a ground would like to learn more, the nonprofit will host group training sessions.

They’ve recently launched their new website and a program for teens and young adults is underway.

“We’ve seen an increased number of phone calls from parents about their children. There’s so much more going on with cellphones and social media. Children are seeing things and getting into situations at an earlier age,” Kapis said. “We’re adapting our curriculum to help younger generations get help and hopefully reach them earlier in the process.”

Kapis said they hope to prevent the trauma in young people that they see every day in adults.

“Let’s walk on a path of health and restoration now and if we can prevent this in a child, they’ll be healthier as they grow up,” Kapis said.

For those who want to get involved, look for training sessions offered on the website and social media. The organization also welcomes donations to support the training and materials, but of most help is simply spreading awareness.

“We’re like the best kept secret, and we don’t want to be,” Kapis said. “We want to continue to create partnerships in the community because we’re stronger together. We want to come alongside you and do this collectively.”

Visit https://www.beyondsurvivalministries.org/ for more information.