When My Son Was Losing Hope
by David Mitchell
As a dad, there’s not much worse than watching your kid lose hope right in front of you.
My son is 20, and he had gone through some deeply painful experiences. For a time, he didn’t know how to move forward. Like weeds, those wounds were spreading into other areas of his life.
About 25 years ago, a pastor walked me through Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM), and God has used it to greatly impact my life many times since then.
So when I watched my son struggling recently, I couldn’t help but think: if God could meet me like that, I know He can meet my son like that too.
So I reached out to Ed Smith, the founder of TPM, and asked if he’d meet with my son. He told me he mostly works only with family and close friends these days, but he recommended a specific ministry in Texas.
After talking and praying together as a family, we all felt peace about making the trip. Within two days, I had booked a week at Serenity Retreat Bellville for my son and me, and we had plane tickets to Houston.
We had a plan: four in-person sessions at the retreat center, followed by Zoom sessions once we returned home. It was a great start for him.
By the second or third session, I could already see hope beginning to return. Even though the core beliefs holding him back weren’t fully resolved yet, something had shifted. He had experienced God personally and was beginning to believe that healing was actually possible.
This story is still being written, so I don’t have a final chapter to share yet. But I can honestly say things are moving in the right direction. Hope is returning.
And after all these years, my wife and I are now planning to go through TPM Training with the team at Serenity.
What I experienced with my son wasn’t unfamiliar to me. Over the years, I’ve watched God use TPM to help dozens of people in ways that nothing else seemed able to help.
Emotional wounds from abusive childhoods, sexual assault, toxic relationships, memories from war. People who dealt years with anxiety, shame, rejection, confusion, guilt, feeling tainted, self hate. All set free.
Why does TPM help people so deeply?
I think it’s because it creates space for God to reach the wounded places in a person’s heart with His truth. It’s more than just reminding ourselves what’s true or trying to “think better.” There’s something powerful about God Himself communicating truth into the exact place where pain, fear, shame, and lies have taken root.
God is a genius. He knows how each of us is wired. He understands our stories better than we do. And when we open our hearts to Him, He knows exactly how to help us.
The men in Scripture that I respect most weren’t perfect men. But they were men who had been deeply impacted by God. That’s what I want for my son—not just relief, but a life truly changed by God.
I’m grateful we found a place that creates space for God to speak so that a life can be transformed—even when someone wonders if anything can really help.
Would you like to schedule a Personal Healing Retreat for or with a loved one? Consider Serenity Retreat Bellville — our 26-acre property set apart for time with the Lord. Click here for more information on our individual and group retreat opportunities located just west of Greater Houston. If you’re in the area, email [email protected] to schedule a tour today! “Come and see” — John 1:39.
