Meet Theresa LaCasse
From 1960 to August of 2017 I was a wife, daughter, sister, stepmom and registered nurse. My life was not the simplest nor the most complex. I had a difficult childhood that was abusive and many of my early years were spent in revolving abusive relationships with men and suffering from very poor mental health. Oddly enough I was raised in a faith that talked about God but never taught about a relationship with Jesus and certainly for me that created a paradigm that my reality did not confirm. I met the savior in my 30’s when I began attending a Bible based Protestant church in Groton, CT.
I gave my life to the Lord in 1993 and nothing in my life has ever been the same. Thankfully! I learned I was loved and I learned how to love. My new church family discipled me and taught me how to live in relationship with the savior. I needed that relationship and this family as God unraveled the memories of my father’s depraved abuse of my sister and I as children. The next few years were filled with the struggle of healing and recovery from PTSD, Dissociative identity Disorder and anorexia. The Lord spoke to me at the completion of this healing journey with words from the book of Habakkuk 2:3 The vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. He was talking about a future time when I would be in ministry to women needing to recover from abuse, sexual violence and substance abuse. He was casting a vision into my life that I would think on for a long time. I have waited 20 years to hear from Him that I should begin the work he was referring to. Three years ago He spoke the words again from Habakkuk and said the time is come. Red Cord Ministries is a vision for this area that seeks to open long term transitional housing for women and their children who are without hope and in need of the savior. We need this recovery house here to fill a gap. Our corner of CT has some of the worst statistics for domestic violence, child sexual abuse and substance abuse in the country. Women struggling to begin again have nowhere to go. Red Cord is ready. The executive board of Red Cord is formed, the legal requirements for a nonprofit have finished. The work of connecting, reaching and vision casting is taking place. The God who brought me to restoration has his eyes on the people that will labor with this vision, help bring it to life and make it sustainable. Our God owns the resources on a thousand hills and His words do not return void. Can I get an Amen?
So why the paintings? My story has no paintings in it to connect the dots so to say. On August 17 as God retired me from clinical nursing he said one word to me….paint. I was taking Red Cord and my church recovery team to a Christian outreach and concert event in the park in Putnam, CT. that very weekend. I was emotional from the decision to end my nursing career and I have no other rational explanation. The Lord said to paint, so I painted. I sold my first painting that weekend and the money was donated to this mission of Red Cord. The gift of being a nurse was removed and a gift of painting was given. At least I hope it is a gift and that people like yourselves will find the savior in these works. I use them now as a platform to speak and spread the words of Jesus love for women and children in need of transitional housing. Come visit me at my table and learn more about how you can pray for this vision or potentially become part of the effort.
