Daughters of Promise September/October 2015 | Page 9

The Daughters of Promise story is one
I love to rehearse. it is a story of God’s
faithfulness; a testimony of how He transformed a
devastating, painful loss into something beautiful.
This issue marks the fifth year of DOP’s existence.
Celebrate with us as we recognize the goodness of
God in all He has done!

By Rae Schrock

o you ever find yourself asking God, “Why?” Have you ever wondered if any good is
coming out of your pain? I certainly have.
In honor of Daughters of Promise’s 5-year anniversary, I want to share with you the story
of its beginning. It was not a very glamorous beginning, but one of loss and sorrow – and hope
and healing. My aim is to celebrate God’s goodness, and to encourage you to press on through
struggles. God is using your pain, as He has used mine. Here is the story.
You might think that this beautiful publication was the product of a lifelong dream or the result of
years of careful planning.
It wasn’t. Before the Fall of 2010, the concept of starting a magazine and christening anything with
the title ‘Daughters of Promise’, did not exist. Granted, I have always loved to write. As a pre-teen,
I launched a family newspaper called “the Conasauga Chronicle” and sold subscriptions to church
people for $1 each. In highschool, my best friend and I took to writing cliché romantic fiction,
songs, and medieval novels. In college I loved researching and writing academic papers. Since the
age of 9 I have journaled voraciously, and have always found writing to be healing and clarifying.
My dream was to one day publish a book – on what topic, I had no idea. But a magazine ministry?
The thought never entered my mind.
Then, at age 22, freshly graduated from nursing school, I experienced real heartbreak for the
first time. Over the course of several years, I had become involved in a romantic relationship
that seemed to meet every desire of my heart. We spoke of getting married and dreamed of our
future. The only thing darkening my happiness was the concerns raised by my parents. Over time
their opposition grew stronger and louder; I felt torn between the blessing of my parents and
being with the person I loved. Ultimately, they asked us to break off the relationship entirely. We
consented to a no-contact season, but within weeks were flying under the radar to be together. All
other relationships took a backseat as I lied, defended, and manipulated my way into keeping the
romance alive. It was a dark time, peace running thin. We had built a little universe together in
which we were the only survivors. I couldn’t fathom a world where we weren’t together and had
determined to fight for it at any cost.
Eventually God, in His loving Fatherly way, brought me to a Mennonite Bible school where I
experienced six weeks of intense teaching and new friendship. It was during that time that I began
to see clearly what I had become and what I was doing. I realized that my family, whom I had
coldly ostracized, truly loved me by advocating for what was best for me – not just what felt good.
I felt devastated by the person I had become and God graciously began leading me to a place of
complete repentance. Very quickly I realized that I needed ongoing mentoring to truly break free

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