As a mental health chaplain, Melissa faithfully supports individuals who are experiencing crisis and acute mental health struggles, bringing comfort and life to those for whom life can be very, very hard.

Melissa shares how Lifewords resources Lifewords resources have supported her in providing this care:

As a mental health chaplain working across multiple hospital sites, these resources are fundamentally important in giving support and encouragement for those who find themselves in what can be a confusing and chaotic situation. I really love the resources Lifewords provide, and have used them in my travels throughout the NHS. I have had patients wear them out as they read them and find comfort within their words and format.

She has found that, for many of the people she supports, Lifewords Little Books bring with a deeply needed source of hope:

These booklets bring an amazing sense of comfort to our patients. They encourage people in their faith when life feels hard, and they are distanced from home and all that is familiar. For our patients, we struggle to keep up with the demand as one person tells another how valuable they have found them.

She continues: "Professionally put together, they show value to the people we work with. Some of our patients have commented, 'I feel comfort when I read this book' or 'I feel peace when I read this'."

For Melissa, Lifewords resources provide a gentle opening to talk about faith and spirituality:

An admission to an acute mental health ward can create questions that both challenge faith and create opportunities to reflect on where hope can be found. These resources provide bite size comfort and reassurance for our patients, and are good talking points about faith and spirituality within their recovery.

They are accessible at a time when people may feel too overwhelmed or confused to engage with larger texts. They allow individuals to engage at whatever level they are able to, and are perfectly aimed for those of our patients who are seeking for a deeper meaning to life.

Melissa also reflected on how having the opportunity to order Lifewords’ resources in multiple languages has benefitted her work: "In particular I have found the translations into different languages are a small ‘bit of home’ to patients who may have everyone they love in another country. This is a double layer of comfort for those patients, to be recognised and valued in their moment of distress."

Addressing those who support Lifewords, she shares: "Thank you on both their behalf and my own to the generous donations which enable these resources to be provided for free. Without this generosity, we would not be able to use them as freely as we do."

One thing that we have always been sure of at Lifewords is that the Bible is good news, even in the most painful moments, even in the darkest of places.

It can be hard to hold on to hope for those who are struggling acutely with mental illness. When the reality of our life is filled with pain, anxiety and sorrow, the goodness of God can feel very far away.

It is often in these moments that we feel the sustaining power of God’s promises, promises that at Lifewords we seek to point readers too throughout our resources.

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