Mending The Scarred

Newsletter | December 2026

We are an organization of women volunteers passionate about reaching out to the broken women affected by domestic violence, sexual abuse or any other type of brokenness in need of mental and emotional healing.

As the year gently comes to a close, December often invites us to reflect—not only on where we have been, but on the quiet ways we have continued moving forward. My prayer is that in the midst of this busy season, you find moments of peace, meaningful connection, and reminders that hope often meets us in the most unexpected places.

Carmen Alonso, Founder and Executive Director

The Strength of the Scar

Christmas has a way of slowing the heart just enough for us to notice what we’ve been carrying.

For some, this season feels light—filled with warmth, tradition, and familiar joy. For others, it quietly exposes what has been harder to name: grief that didn’t resolve, prayers that still feel unanswered, memories that surface when the world expects celebration.

And yet, this is exactly where the message of Christmas meets us—not in the polished places of our lives, but in the vulnerable ones.

Jesus did not enter the world through comfort or perfection. He entered into tension, into uncertainty, into a story already marked by human ache. The cradle and the cross were never separate stories; they were always part of the same redemptive path.

This is why scars matter.

A scar is not the absence of pain–it is evidence that healing has taken place. It tells the truth that something real happened, but it also tells a deeper truth: it did not remain broken.

In the same way, the places in your life that feel marked or unfinished are not disqualifiers. They are often where God's redemption becomes most visible. Not erased. Not ignored. Redeemed.

At the heart of Christmas it this quiet miracle: God draws near, not to shame what has been wounded, but to dwell within it. To bring light into what once felt sealed off. To bring hope where resignation tried to settle in.

So if this season finds you reflective, even tender in places you would rather not revisit, you are not alone in that place. There is a holy strength forming in what you thought disqualify you.

The story of Christ reminds us that what was broken does not get the final word. Grace does. And sometimes, the strongest thing we carry into a new year is not perfection–but the evidence taht we survived, and were not abandoned in the process.

This is the strength of the scar:

not what pain took from you, but what love refused to let end there.

The Journey Through 2026

More Than a Year.

A Movement of Healing.

Some years are measured in numbers. Others are measured in courage, quiet breakthroughs, and the moments that begin changing lives from the inside out.

As we reflect on 2026, we celebrate a year of deeper healing, stronger community, renewed purpose, and women taking courageous steps toward restoration.

Here's a glimpse of what we experienced together.

🎀 Inner Healing Series

We launched a 12-session Inner Healing Series, guiding women toward emotional and spiritual restoration rooted in truth, identity, and wholeness in Christ. Each month explored a different healing-centered topic, helping participants grow in freedom, resilience, and hope. Because we pause during July and gather for our Christmas celebration in December, the series will continue into the first months of the new year. Explore our 2026 Newsletter Archive to discover the topics covered throughout the year.

🎀 One Theme. Four Chapters.

For the first time, all four chapters—Casselberry, East Orlando, Jacksonville, and our Spanish-speaking East Orlando community—followed one shared monthly healing theme. This brought greater unity across locations and languages while allowing each chapter to serve its community in its own unique way. Jacksonville also dedicated one gathering each month to the shared topic, strengthening connection across our ministry. See highlights on our chapters on our May 2025

🎀 Growing Our Mentorship Team

Our mentorship ministry continued to grow as new women stepped forward to encourage others through compassion, wisdom, and personal experience. We were delighted to welcome Evelyn, Lissette, Michelle, and Yubi as new trained mentors, expanding the support available to women on their healing journey. See highlights on our August newsletter.

🎀 Strengthening Professional Partnerships

We were honored to welcome Dr. Lillian Moyet as a ministry partner. As a licensed counselor, ordained minister, author, and motivational speaker, she brings compassionate, faith-centered guidance that strengthens the support we provide to women on their healing journey. See her bio on Volunteering/Partnerships.

🎀 S.H.A.P.E. Journey

Through our ongoing S.H.A.P.E. class, women discovered more of their God-given identity, purpose, and unique calling. As participants gained greater clarity about their gifts and life experiences, many began to see how their healing could become a source of hope for others. We highlighted our S.H.A.P.E. class of 2025 on our July newsletter.

🎀 Annual Retreat: Victory Over Affliction

Women from all four chapters gathered for a powerful day of worship, biblical teaching, testimony, creativity, and meaningful connection. Together, they were reminded that affliction does not have the final word and that healing begins as we embrace God's truth about who we are. Highlights from the retreat were shared in our May newsletter, with additional photos available in our Gallery.

🎀 Hope Beyond Our Walls

Throughout the year, our volunteers participated in several outreach initiatives, serving women and families in practical, compassionate ways. One special outreach brought our team to a high-security shelter for survivors of domestic violence, where we shared a homemade meal, thoughtful gift bags, and a message of hope. While we came to encourage others, we left deeply encouraged ourselves—reminded that simple acts of kindness can restore dignity, strengthen community, and plant seeds of hope that continue to grow. We look forward to expanding these outreach opportunities in the years ahead. See more on our Gallery and November newsletter.

🎀 Faithful Leadership During a Season of Change

During Founding and Executive Director Carmen Alonso's nearly three-month sabbatical, our weekly gatherings continued without interruption. Thanks to thoughtful planning and the faithful dedication of our leaders and volunteers, every meeting, teaching, and discussion moved forward with consistency, care, and excellence.

🎀 When Plans Change

One disappointment this year was the cancellation of our Leaders Retreat. After months of preparation, our Airbnb reservation was unexpectedly canceled when the property was sold. With too little time to secure another location large enough for our 22 leaders, we made the difficult decision to postpone the retreat. While disappointing, this experience reminded us that unexpected detours do not cancel God's purposes. Sometimes they simply invite us to trust Him in new ways and remain faithful while waiting for the next opportunity.

22 Faces. Countless Quiet Miracles.

Every meaningful gathering has a story behind it—and usually, someone setting up chairs, making calls, praying beforehand, facilitating conversations, bringing snacks, solving unexpected problems, and somehow still smiling.

Leadership is often found in ordinary moments: opening doors, offering encouragement, remembering names, holding space for tears, sharing wisdom, and faithfully returning week after week. That kind of quiet faithfulness may not always be seen, but it changes lives.

To our twenty-two treasured leaders, thank you for walking this journey with us. Your compassion, consistency, and willingness to serve created spaces where healing could take root and women could feel seen, heard, and supported. Your service shaped this year in ways both visible and unseen, and the impact of your care reaches farther than you may ever know.

From left to right, in alphabetical order: Ahisha, Alissa, Bonne, Daune, Diana, Doreen, Edna, Evelyn O., Evelyn T., Frances, Ivette, JoeAnna, Lisette, Liza, Lourdes, Lydia, Maribet, Mildred, Myrna, Nina, Rebecca, and Wanda.

Healing Together: Strength Found in Community

Healing was never meant to be walked alone.

There is something deeply grounding about sitting in a room with others who understand, where stories are shared without judgment, and silence can feel just as supportive as words. In those moments—over a shared meal, a conversation, or even a simple smile—something begins to shift. Isolation loosens its grip, and connection starts to take its place.

Our in-person gatherings offer that kind of space: a place to slow down, be present, and experience the steady reminder that you are not walking this journey alone. Over time, these moments become more than meetings—they become relationships, encouragement, and a quiet rebuilding of trust in community.

At the same time, life does not always make it easy to gather in person. That is why our weekly online prayer group exists—to provide a consistent space of support and spiritual grounding, wherever you are. It is a time to pause, pray together, and find encouragement in the middle of real life, even in busy or difficult seasons.

Different settings, same heart: connection, healing, and the reminder that restoration often happens in community.

A December to Gather, Celebrate & Remember

As the year comes to a close women from every Mending The Scarred chapters will come together for one meaningful Christmas Luncheon as one ministry family.

This December, instead of meeting separately at our individual campuses, we’ll pause to gather around one table for an afternoon of laughter, connection, reflection, and celebration. It’s a chance to reconnect with familiar faces, meet women from other chapters, and celebrate the many ways God has carried, strengthened, and restored us throughout the year.

This gathering is a private event for women who currently attend—or have previously attended—any of our four Mending The Scarred chapters, as well as their invited female guests. Whether you’ve been with us for years or recently joined the journey, we would love to celebrate this season together.

As we prepare our hearts for a new year, we hope this luncheon offers space to slow down, share stories, express gratitude, and simply enjoy being together in community.

Please RSVP by December 12 by emailing info@mendingthescarred.org. When responding, kindly include your name and the number of guests attending so we can prepare thoughtfully for everyone joining us.

Before We Gather Again... A Look Back

As we prepare for our 2026 Christmas Luncheon, we couldn’t resist sharing a few joyful memories from last year’s gathering.

Our 2025 luncheon was filled with laughter, meaningful conversations, shared gratitude, and the kind of warmth that reminds us we were never meant to walk alone. If these smiles tell us anything, it’s this: beautiful things happen when women gather around hope, healing, friendship, and community.

Before stepping into this year’s celebration, we wanted to revisit a few favorite moments from last December—a gentle reminder that some of life’s sweetest memories are made simply by gathering together.

Here, we’re sharing just two of the thirteen photos and collages featured in the Gallery on our website, capturing small glimpses of a day filled with joy, connection, and Christmas cheer.

Together, We Can Break the Cycle of Trauma

At Mending The Scarred, we believe every woman deserves the chance to heal, rebuild, and thrive after trauma.

Many women survivors of domestic violence and other hardships face overwhelming challenges—homelessness, financial instability, and emotional wounds that feel impossible to heal alone. That's where we stepped in.

We provide real, life-changing support to women in need, offering counseling, job assistance, emergency aid, took, clothing, medical care, and access to education. But we don't stop there

—we're working toward a secure, transitional housing program in Central Florida, giving survivors a stable place to stay while they rebuild their lives.

This mission isn't just about meeting basic needs—it's about empowerment. We want women to move beyond survival, to become confident, self sufficient, and ready to build a bright future.

But we can'd do this alone. Your support—whether through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word—can change lives. Together, we can provide a fresh start for women who need it most.

Will you join us?

Our Vision | Our Team | Volunteering/Partnerships

Exiting Ways to Make a Difference

Be the Change: Join Our Mission to Empower Women

Mending The Scarred thrives because of dedicated volunteers like you—individuals with a passion for transforming the lives of women impacted by domestic violence, sexual abuse, and emotional trauma. Together we can create a brighter future.

Here is how you can make a difference:

🎄 Community Outreach: Share hope by helping us connect with local schools, churches, and community events, introducing women to the life-changing support of MTS.

🎄 Prayer & Intercession Team: Lend your heart and faith by praying for the women we serve and supporting our leadership team through intercession and special events.

Your time, energy, and compassion can change lives. Take the first step today! Click the link below to explore volunteer opportunities and email us at info@mendingthescarred.org to get started.

Let's make an impact together!

Volunteering/Partnerships

Sponsor a Survivor

Imagine the profound impact you can have on a woman who has endured the unthinkable—abuse, trauma, and heartache.

Your sponsorship isn't just a donation—it's an investment in the restoration of a life. It's a chance to show who has suffered that she is seen, valued, and worthy of the care and healing she so desperately needs.

Every session provides a safe space for her to process her pain, rebuild her self-worth and reclaim the strength that trauma tried to take from her.

Spread the Healing: Invite Others to Join Our Journey

Every journey toward healing becomes more powerful when shared.

If our newsletter has inspired, uplifted, or encourage you, we invite you to share it with others who might benefit as well! Encourage your friends, family, or colleagues to subscribe. Together, we can extend the reach of hope, understanding, and connection to even more hearts.

We also encourage you to explore our Newsletter Archive, where you’ll find past editions that highlight different aspects of Mending The Scarred—each one offering a glimpse into specific themes, gatherings, initiatives, photos, and the ongoing story of healing within our community.

Your willingness to share or simply point someone toward these resources may become a quiet part of someone else’s healing journey.

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Mending The Scarred

info@mendingthescarred.org

407-484-4544