God Works Magazine - May-June 2024 - Flipbook - Page 76
Even her devoutly religious Jehovah's Witness grandmother engaged
in the gasligh琀椀ng, subjec琀椀ng her to
dehumanizing "exorcism" rituals and
destroying her belongings to drive
out supposed demons.
At just 10 years old, Samantha
watched helplessly as her intoxicated grandfather was allowed by
police to con琀椀nue driving erra琀椀cally with her in the truck, her
family's reputa琀椀on superseding
her safety. As she grew older, the
horrors compounded further - ostracized for becoming pregnant as an
unwed teen, at 18 she married a
much older man. She was then devasta琀椀ngly blamed for his subsequent
suicide upon learning her daughter's
paternity.
was undeterred when she unleashed
a torrent of disturbing confessions in
a desperate a琀琀empt to drive him
away too. When she 昀椀nally fell to
the 昀氀oor and cried out "I hate God,
and I hate you," Barry simply responded "I love you. I love you so
much, Samantha."
ness over her trauma琀椀c past and
openly acknowledges her imperfec琀椀ons, Samantha declares herself
"crazy about Jesus" thanks to the
transforma琀椀ve power of God's love
delivered through the humblest of
vessels - an aging white-haired pastor who saw her unshakable value
when the world had completely
abandoned her.
He intended YOU for good.
When Samantha 昀椀nally a琀琀empted to
report the abuse at 21, her powerful
family used their wealth and in昀氀uence to not only have her discredited and arrested on extor琀椀on charges, but secured court terms barring
her from ever so much as discussing
the trauma. Over the following
years, Samantha descended into
darkness - turning to pros琀椀tu琀椀on,
substance abuse, crime, surrendering custody of her daughter, and
nearly taking her own life before
being ins琀椀tu琀椀onalized at 23.
It was there, at her lowest point and
having pushed everyone else away,
that an unlikely beacon of light entered Samantha's life - 68-year-old
pastor Barry Gray from Shandon
Bap琀椀st Church. Visi琀椀ng at the request of one of his parishioners who
was Samantha's psychiatrist, Barry
76 | God Works Magazine | May/June 2024
Those words marked an incredible
turning point. Though Samantha ini琀椀ally resisted, Barry's uncondi琀椀onal
love, resolve and pa琀椀ence over
many years helped 昀椀rmly plant the
seeds of faith that would ul琀椀mately
blossom into her redemp琀椀on and
salva琀椀on. He supported her through
every milestone - gradua琀椀ng with
mul琀椀ple degrees, earning custody of
her child, termina琀椀ng her proba琀椀on,
and even a琀琀ending her cancer treatments, all while assuring her "God
intended you for good."
Now 42, Samantha is a respected
professional, advocate for vic琀椀ms of
sexual abuse and the jus琀椀ce system's failings, and devoted mother
to her Ivy League-bound daughter.
She has met with former presidents,
tes琀椀昀椀ed before Congress, and uses
her wealthy family's inheritance in
de昀椀ance of their former reputa琀椀onal
concerns to give away to important
causes. Samantha even helps provide housing for "stray humans," as
her daughter calls them, just as she
was once taken in herself.
While she s琀椀ll struggles with bi琀琀er-
Before his passing last year, Barry
Gray le昀琀 Samantha with a 昀椀nal
le琀琀er encapsula琀椀ng the essence of
her story: "I've never seen a person
come out of the kind of darkness
you were in...But I believe God only
allows what He can ul琀椀mately redeem. He intended YOU for good.
Go forward."
From the ashes of horri昀椀c abuse,
abandonment and u琀琀er desola琀椀on
has risen a powerful tes琀椀mony to
how God can redeem any life, no
ma琀琀er how broken, through the restora琀椀ve love of His people. Samantha Harris' courageous resilience and
radical transforma琀椀on is a reminder
that no person, no ma琀琀er their ac琀椀ons or trauma, is beyond the transforma琀椀ve embrace of God's enduring compassion and grace.
Read Samantha’s story in her
own words.
h琀琀ps://bit.ly/SamanthaHarrisJourney
