Help Samira remove pagan tattoos!
Donation protected
This is Samira. She is 22. Her journey has not been an easy one.
Samira was raised by her single mother, who struggled with Heroin addiction and who died from cancer when Samira was 17, leaving her homeless and alone. When Samira first became aware that her mother was dying of cancer, a friend suggested she try witchcraft and select herself a goddess to be her ‘mother’, someone who could look after her and lead her in her life. Samira, unaware of the depths of darkness in the pagan spiritual world, took her friend’s advice, selected a goddess and became heavily involved in pagan ritual and worship. As part of her devotion, she had her arms, legs, fingers and spine tattooed with pagan symbols. Her relationship with the spiritual realm invited a tremendous amount of pain and confusion and fear into her life. It did not satisfy her soul and she remained convinced that there was something else. Something bigger. Something more pure.
After the passing of her mother, Samira became increasingly aware of the darkness she was involved in. She was deep in her grief, and felt completely alone and yet unable to break free from the web she was now tied to. An old highschool friend reconnected with her and through that relationship, Samira was invited to church. There, she experienced Christ for the first time. She was overwhelmed with the presence of God in that place. The purity and the love she felt was beautiful and yet so foreign to what she had ever known.
Samira’s friend’s family contacted me to tell me about her. I’m not sure why, but Samira bravely agreed to meet us and as we met, I could tell that there was not only a lot of past pain, but deep spiritual connections that were problematic and opposing to Christ. She was clearly sad, afraid and everything about her countenance was grey. Thankfully, Samira was very open to knowing more about Christ and so we began meeting up to drink coffee and talk about the gospel. In our very first meeting, Samira gave her life to Christ. She was so ready for love that was pure and safe and so motivated to move away from the darkness. From that moment on, it was like she began to burst into color. I described it to some friends as though I was watching a black and white picture be painted in. I was reminded of the LIFE that comes through HOPE. The hope of Christ.
As we’ve come to know Samira, we’ve invited her into our home and she’s taken up a place as an honorary member of our family. It’s not been an easy journey. Her life of chaos has created many challenges for her yet we’ve been so encouraged and impressed by her courage and commitment to keep moving in Christ’s direction. Together we have smashed crystals, burned pagan books and renounced spirits. It’s been quite an epic adventure. Even as we’ve gone over her new identity in Christ, and even though Samira believes that her pagan tattoos do not define her, she has remained convinced that she wants them gone. “I don’t want them anymore. I don’t want to see them, I don’t want them on my skin. I want all of it gone.” Samira has expressed how, to a degree, the tattoos feel like she has been ‘branded’. Removing them is her way of saying, “ I don’t belong to the enemy anymore… I am free. Free from any markings that would make any claim on me. Free to be who Christ created me to be”.
Samira has very little.
Tattoo removal is not cheap.
We’ve researched a company that uses up to date technology to remove them with the least damage to her skin. The cost is capped out at $250 per session but it is likely to take 10-14 sessions to have them removed completely. I would love to help her raise this amount as a way of us, as the body of Christ, saying, “we stand with you. You’re not in this journey alone”.
Would you help me give her this gift? I want her to be able to look at her skin and physically see that she is made new. She is not branded. She is set free. The only name written on her is Christ’s and it’s written all the way across her heart and soul. :)
Samira was raised by her single mother, who struggled with Heroin addiction and who died from cancer when Samira was 17, leaving her homeless and alone. When Samira first became aware that her mother was dying of cancer, a friend suggested she try witchcraft and select herself a goddess to be her ‘mother’, someone who could look after her and lead her in her life. Samira, unaware of the depths of darkness in the pagan spiritual world, took her friend’s advice, selected a goddess and became heavily involved in pagan ritual and worship. As part of her devotion, she had her arms, legs, fingers and spine tattooed with pagan symbols. Her relationship with the spiritual realm invited a tremendous amount of pain and confusion and fear into her life. It did not satisfy her soul and she remained convinced that there was something else. Something bigger. Something more pure.
After the passing of her mother, Samira became increasingly aware of the darkness she was involved in. She was deep in her grief, and felt completely alone and yet unable to break free from the web she was now tied to. An old highschool friend reconnected with her and through that relationship, Samira was invited to church. There, she experienced Christ for the first time. She was overwhelmed with the presence of God in that place. The purity and the love she felt was beautiful and yet so foreign to what she had ever known.
Samira’s friend’s family contacted me to tell me about her. I’m not sure why, but Samira bravely agreed to meet us and as we met, I could tell that there was not only a lot of past pain, but deep spiritual connections that were problematic and opposing to Christ. She was clearly sad, afraid and everything about her countenance was grey. Thankfully, Samira was very open to knowing more about Christ and so we began meeting up to drink coffee and talk about the gospel. In our very first meeting, Samira gave her life to Christ. She was so ready for love that was pure and safe and so motivated to move away from the darkness. From that moment on, it was like she began to burst into color. I described it to some friends as though I was watching a black and white picture be painted in. I was reminded of the LIFE that comes through HOPE. The hope of Christ.
As we’ve come to know Samira, we’ve invited her into our home and she’s taken up a place as an honorary member of our family. It’s not been an easy journey. Her life of chaos has created many challenges for her yet we’ve been so encouraged and impressed by her courage and commitment to keep moving in Christ’s direction. Together we have smashed crystals, burned pagan books and renounced spirits. It’s been quite an epic adventure. Even as we’ve gone over her new identity in Christ, and even though Samira believes that her pagan tattoos do not define her, she has remained convinced that she wants them gone. “I don’t want them anymore. I don’t want to see them, I don’t want them on my skin. I want all of it gone.” Samira has expressed how, to a degree, the tattoos feel like she has been ‘branded’. Removing them is her way of saying, “ I don’t belong to the enemy anymore… I am free. Free from any markings that would make any claim on me. Free to be who Christ created me to be”.
Samira has very little.
Tattoo removal is not cheap.
We’ve researched a company that uses up to date technology to remove them with the least damage to her skin. The cost is capped out at $250 per session but it is likely to take 10-14 sessions to have them removed completely. I would love to help her raise this amount as a way of us, as the body of Christ, saying, “we stand with you. You’re not in this journey alone”.
Would you help me give her this gift? I want her to be able to look at her skin and physically see that she is made new. She is not branded. She is set free. The only name written on her is Christ’s and it’s written all the way across her heart and soul. :)
Co-organizers (2)
Bec Shepski
Organizer
State College, PA
Samira Gendy
Co-organizer