First of all, I guess I should explain what the PDP is all about, shouldn’t I? The Personal Development Program is a Christ-centered, self-assessment program that allows hurting women the time to look inward and upward in order to move forward with hope and Godly confidence.
Although it didn’t quite start this way, the Personal Development Program has, for the most part, turned into a pre-program for women waiting for our long-term Renewal Program. While waiting here, they work on the three levels of our program:
Personal- each resident will be encouraged to “be still” and, with God’s strength and guidance, begin the process of assessing her past and present personal relationships, her responses to those relationships and the results of those responses. She will begin to look within and acknowledge areas of personal hurt. She will also learn the importance of taking personal responsibility for past choices and will develop tools that she can use to make better decisions in the future.
Development-each resident will be encouraged to seek the Word of God as she begins the process of changing her old ways of thinking and developing new skills for dealing with negative character traits and behaviors. She will continue to develop tools to use as she begins to make peace with the past and begins to build a Godly foundation for a better future.
Program-each resident will continue to put into practice program guidelines, develop good work habits and team building skills as they serve in the kitchen, attend classes and live in community with women who have very similar issues and goals. For those who come to us after graduation from the Renewal Program, and there are a few!, this would be the time when they would develop an updated resume’, a budget, look into schooling opportunities and/or begin looking for a job.
It is our greatest desire as a staff to see the women develop strength–physical, mental, emotional and spiritual– that will carry them through the longer six-month Renewal Program. It is our utmost privileged to watch them change and grow as God reveals His Truth to them. It is our fervent prayer that they will continue to seek His face as He brings to light His purpose and plan for each of them. These are our ladies—the amazing women of the PDP !!
